The Absolute Mess
by Ilovedesserts
Summary: Total A/U-Set after Provenza's wedding. Sharon takes the NFL job, and her life becomes an absolute mess. Thank goodness none of this really happened. Ages, ideas-yeah, all way out there, I know. These characters aren't my own. This is in response to several story ideas people gave me-I decided to make one story with all the ideas at the same time-The Absolute Mess.
1. Chapter 1

**So...Total A/U-Set after Provenza's wedding. Sharon takes the NFL job, and her life becomes an absolute mess. Thank goodness none of this really happened. Ages, ideas-yeah, all way out there, I know. This is in response to several story ideas people gave me-I decided to make one story with all the ideas at the same time-The Absolute Mess. These characters are not my own, and can I say thank goodness none of this is true to the real storyline!**

She gripped the sink countertop, bent her head down, and started crying. She went from a single tear to an outright wail in a matter of seconds. Quickly, she clutched her stomach and slid down to the floor, not that any of that helped. Why did people grab their stomach when they felt like they were going to be sick? It's not like that really helped, but sitting on a bathroom floor, sobbing, wasn't helping either. She sat there crying for several minutes until she couldn't cry anymore. Then, she just sat there. It was quiet, and when she finally brushed the tears from her eyes, she looked at her surroundings. White, sterile, fancy. A hotel bathroom, just great, she shook her head. Just where she needed her life to finally fall apart. She clutched her stomach again, her rounding, hard stomach. She didn't know why she was acting like this was such a surprise. No, she'd deep down known this for months, but today, she'd finally faced the facts, and the string of tests on the hotel bathroom countertop all agreed; she was pregnant, and she had a mess.

Quite a place to reflect on the last several months of your life-a fancy, hotel bathroom, but that's just what Sharon did. For the next couple of hours, she just sat there, thinking back over the disaster her life had become. Sure, people had mid-life crisis' all the time, but why did hers now have to result in this? Surely, this phase of her life was over, at least that's what she'd thought for the last eight or nine months at least. Well, seemed as if the joke was on her. The belly that should couldn't hide was proof of that. The only reason she'd actually faced the music this morning, a hotel in Tampa, was that she literally had nothing that fit. Nothing. None of her suit pants fit, none of her skirts, and even the two business style straight dresses fit either. No, she'd let this delusion go on way too long. What a mess.

The mess all started after Provenza's wedding. Oh, it had been a great wedding, and it was great to celebrate something after closing such an awful case. She and Andy had gone to a nice dinner after toasting Provenza and Patrice. During dinner, they'd both been happy, that is until Andy brought up the subject of marriage. It wasn't a proposal at all, but he eluded to the idea of them maybe getting married someday soon. She'd still been putting the brakes on their relationship; he hadn't stayed at the condo since he'd been injured, and they hadn't progressed in their relationship at all. She had told him that her faith was keeping anything for marriage, and they weren't married. So, he'd brought up that subject. She knew he was madly in love with her, and while she didn't want to admit it then, she could see now that she was in love with him too. No, that night had started her spiral to where she was now-the bathroom floor with a swollen belly.

She'd put Andy off that night, saying she was stressed from the case and didn't want to talk about it. He'd been all too polite and agreed, taking her home and kissing her sweetly before he left. The next morning, she'd made, what she now saw, a rash and panicked decision. She called the NFL and accepted the job. It was a good job, and the money, well, close to a half million dollars plus travel, a clothing allowance, and many other perks including penthouse suites wherever she went. No, none of that ended up being the tipping scale for her. No, it was her panic. She didn't want to deal with Andy, so she ran, even though, deep in her heart, she knew she loved Andy with all her heart.

The team had been shocked, and Andy had been devastated, but he wasn't devastated she took the job. No, he'd encouraged her to do so, but she'd told him she needed space. The league would fly a family member to see her, wherever she was, once a month, and she told him that they could do that for awhile, and they would see how it went. Somehow, they both knew it was the writing on the wall.

So, she'd left Major Crimes. Case closed, end of story, end of LA chapter. Sure, she still had her condo, and of course, Rusty. The team promised to watch over Rusty, and even while things had been tense with Andy, Rusty and Andy formed a solid parent/child relationship bond after she left, getting dinner often and catching up. But, she left. Rusty was doing well, busy in school and hanging out with Gus all the time. Her new job allowed her to travel so much more, and with that, she was actually able to see Ricky and Emily more than she had in years. She gave up one family for another, leaving Andy and Major Crimes to see Emily and Ricky.

Andy had come to Tampa a month after Sharon had started, using the first of her family tickets. She shook her head, now, sitting on the bathroom floor. Ironic, he'd been here before in this same hotel room with her. Nothing had gone right. Andy had missed her, and she'd missed him. She had done the tour of the facility, and he'd enjoyed the game very much. They had ended his visit with a walk on the beach, where he'd proposed to her, and she'd said no. She hadn't just said no; she had said never. She'd told Andy she couldn't do this anymore. Andy had left, devastated, and she hadn't even spoken to him for a couple of months after that happened.

She'd used her ticket for Rusty for the next couple of months after that, and she had been so glad to see him. Rusty had flown to Dallas, and he'd flown to Buffalo in December, not before telling her he never wanted to go there again; it was too cold. He'd joked that Sharon should save all her warm weather climate tickets for him and encouraged her to use her cold weather tickets on Andy. She'd remained silent; Rusty was trying to help, trying to encourage, but she was stubborn.

After she broke things off with Andy, that sad evening on the beach in Tampa, she changed. Looking back, she saw that now, and she shook her head at her irresponsible behavior. She'd acted like she was a rebellious teenager for months, the result of that, now lying under her fingers, seeming to grow by the minute.

Her boss, Steve, had been the one to tell her about the family tickets when they had interviewed her, and because of that, she'd asked him about those once she started working. She'd been excited to tell him Andy was coming to visit first, and then he'd noted she'd used a couple in a row on her son. So, one evening, after they'd finished with work, they were sitting in the hotel bar having a light dinner. This was a normal occurrence; the two traveled to about half the locations together, when he asked her about the tickets.

"When is your boyfriend coming to see you again?" Steve asked, as he cut up his steak.

Sharon, refusing to look at him, said, "He won't be using any tickets. I broke things off."

"Really?" Steve looked up, interest peaked, "I thought you two had been together for awhile?"

"We had," Sharon nodded, "A couple years, even more really," she shrugged. "It just didn't work out."

Steve nodded, "The job. I get it. Same thing happened with my wife," he smiled sympathetically.

So, that evening in Miami, Steve had been a good listener. He'd made Sharon laugh at dinner, and they'd talked for hours. She didn't see him for a couple weeks after that, just the nature of the job, and then they found themselves in Baltimore a couple weeks later.

This time, at dinner, Steve sat much closer to Sharon, and he ran his foot up and down her leg. She had to admit, the notice was nice, but she knew better-he was her boss. She'd been the boss and had let a relationship get in the way. She wasn't about to do it again. They'd flirted, had some wine, and that had been it. Steve might be attractive and might flirt, but that had been it.

A couple weeks later, right at Thanksgiving, they wound up in Philadelphia together again, and Steve had continued his same track at dinner. At this point, Sharon was ready to throw her old self out the window. She'd had it. Nothing had ever gone well for her trying to do the right thing, and looking back, Sharon realized she was probably near the peak of her mid-life crisis at this point. So, at dinner his foot had resumed its track up her leg like it had done in Baltimore, but then he'd gotten bold and let his fingers run up and down her legs. Sharon had ended that evening before anything else had happened, but then she'd had a twinge of her mid-life crisis talking, telling her that it would have been fun.

So, two weeks after that, when Sharon and Steve ended up working in Tampa together, Sharon threw out any semblance of her old self, and she let Steve's leg and hand wander. She let her mind wander, and it ended up taking Steve up to her room with her. For Sharon, who'd been so guarded about this part of herself, she threw all caution to the wind that night. Before this, she'd only been with Jack. Steve had made her feel alive, and she decided that night she was going to enjoy her life, and no one was going to stop it. It ended with him promising to see her in Cleveland in a few weeks, and they had done just that. They'd gone to Cleveland, and Atlanta, before returning to Tampa. Sharon couldn't get enough of him. December and January had been a blur of time spent with Steve.

Then, one night, they were back in Tampa. It was after the holidays, and the football season was getting closer to the playoffs. Sharon's first "season" at work was ending, and while she still traveled quite a bit in the off-season, she was going to have some time at home. Sharon knew that she'd have to figure out this with Steve, or maybe she wouldn't? Maybe she'd just go back home, and they could continue to meet up on the road. Who was it harming? Both were consenting, middle aged adults, right? It wasn't affecting work; they worked well together, and they only worked together a couple weekends out of each month. Except, Tampa had been a disaster, again, yet this time for a different reason. Ironically, some of the same people were involved.

Sharon and Steve were in the penthouse, when she went to the door to get the room service they had ordered. In her mid-life crisis state, she had started throwing caution to the wind in her wardrobe, well, her off the clock wardrobe. She answered the door for room service wearing a bright red robe. She also had Steve kissing up and down her neck, so she was laughing. Except, the laughing stopped when she opened the door. Andy stood there, gorgeous Andy in dark jeans, a sport coat, and casual loafers, holding a bouquet of flowers. Andy, the same guy she'd said no to months ago, now because she couldn't commit to marrying the love of her life stood there and watched as she answered that door a total mess.

"Andy!" Sharon exclaimed, causing Steve to stop kissing Sharon and look up. Sharon clutched her robe, closed and shrugged Steve off her back.

Andy stood there, silent, hurt, angry. He dropped the flowers at his feet and turned and walked away. Steve pulled Sharon back into the room, "Forget about him" he whispered to her, "I'm so glad you moved on with me. This is amazing."

Sharon felt horrible, and with the explanation that she couldn't hurt her friend like that, she'd thrown on some clothing and gone in search of Andy. Except, she didn't find him. He wasn't staying at the hotel. Why would he be? He'd probably planned on staying in Sharon's room. He wasn't in the bar, which she had to give a silent thank you, and he wasn't answering his phone. In a city where she seemed to be spending a lot of time, she couldn't find Andy. This had turned into a mess.

When Sharon had returned to her room, she'd found a note from Steve telling her he'd see her in Denver in a couple of weeks. She's tried to reach Andy for several days after that, all to no avail. She couldn't ask Rusty about it; he couldn't know anything about how her mid-life crisis had taken over. She was ashamed; she knew Rusty would be disappointed. It was then and there, she decided things had to end with Steve, not that she was getting back together with Andy, but her life had spiraled out of control long enough. She'd been sneaking around with her boss from city to city, the most un-Sharon like thing she could imagine. She was disappointed in herself. So, when she arrived in Denver and agreed to meet Steve for dinner, she had her speech all ready.

"Sharon," Steve smiled warmly at Sharon as she walked into the hotel restaurant, "I'm glad you could join us. This is my wife, Lisa."

Sharon's shock must have registered on her face. Wife? He was divorced, right? Except that in all their talk, he'd said things hadn't worked out with his wife-which led her to believe they were divorced. Sitting down, stunned, she realized, she'd never confirmed that, another totally un-Sharon like thing to do. She'd been messing around with a married man, something she was disgusted her own husband had done, and here in her mid-life crisis, she'd done the same.

"I'm sure you're stunned to meet me because I haven't been able to join Steve on the road much," Lisa said, and Sharon noticed she was beautiful and much younger. Steve was her age, and Lisa looked to be in her mid-30's. "I've been at home with our two small children, and I know it's been really hard for Steve to not see them. They are one and three," she smiled brightly, "funny because we almost called it quits a couple years ago, and now look at us," she reached over and grabbed Steve's hand. Sharon was trying not to lose it right there; she'd been traveling around seeing a married man whose wife was home with two children? He was her age and married to that? Oh, he disgusted her that moment, but not as much as she was disgusted with herself at the moment. Lisa continued, "This is like a second honeymoon for us, this trip! My parents are watching the kids, and I'm so happy to be here. It's nice to meet you Sharon. Steve's told me you've been a fantastic addition to the team. He speaks highly of you, and I'm glad you could travel so well with him."

Sharon couldn't say much but nod, and she was able to excuse herself a bit later, noting she was jet-lagged and worn out. Now, while that was an excuse, she had started to notice in the last couple of weeks that she wasn't shaking the jet-lag well. She chalked it up to the job finally starting to wear on her. This night, she chalked it up to the mess she'd walked into at dinner, all the more confirmation to call things off. When she returned to her room, she was worn out and nauseous, both she attributed to the disaster downstairs. She fell asleep that night, crying herself to sleep, for being such a terrible person.

Sharon had finished all the travel of the season and returned home to LA for two weeks before she had to fly out again. During that time, she tried to speak to Andy, and he refused. She even sat outside of his place one night, in her car, waiting for him to come home. He never did. It took everything she had to not text Provenza and ask them if they were working a case, but she didn't. She continued to sit in his driveway, finally going home well after midnight. During that two weeks, she never did see Andy, and she couldn't bring herself to go by the office. Rusty had no idea things had gotten that bad. He knew the two had broken things off, but he had hoped it would get better now that she was going to be home more. He kept her updated on Andy, as the two continued to eat together often. Ironically, during the two weeks Sharon was home, Andy was "unavailable" to eat with Rusty, a sure ploy to avoid seeing Sharon.

So, Sharon went to her next stop, Dallas, where she had the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that something was off with herself, yet she wasn't ready to address it. Her "jet-lag" hadn't gone away the two weeks she'd been home, but she'd convinced herself she'd slept in hotels for months, and she was just glad to be back in her own bed. She was hoping the symptoms she'd been slowly noticing might just be her mind playing tricks on her and that if she didn't confirm it, it wasn't really happening. Dallas proved to be a turning point for Sharon. She had it out with Steve, who tried to act like things were normal with them, when they were anything but. She had screamed at him, telling him things were over. He'd told her if she ever spoke of any of it, he'd have her fired, with a formal write up. They decided it would be best to realign their schedules and see if they could avoid each other at all costs. Sharon decided that this job, with all its excitement and travel, might not have been the best decision.

After Dallas, Sharon had another visitor at her door when she traveled to Phoenix. This time, she was surprised, but glad in a way to find an old friend when she opened her door, Provenza.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, tired, trying to pull herself together from her nap.

Provenza looked her up and down, "You look terrible. All this travel-it's not a good look for you. Why do you think I'm here, you idiot?" he huffed as he moved into her penthouse room. "Rusty told me you were on the West Coast, or well, close to it, so here I am."

Sharon closed the door and followed him into the room as he looked around, "Lieutenant, I can guess why you are here. He won't talk to me."

"Of course, he won't," Provenza threw up his hands as he spun around to yell at her, "He found you, the love of his life, the woman he'd move mountains to be with, the woman he's waited patiently to be with for years, in a hotel room with another man! What were you thinking? What do you expect?"

Sharon sighed as she sat down, "I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I'm exhausted from travel. You aren't telling me anything I haven't already thought about. I'm disgusted with myself, have been for weeks," she shook her head.

"He's drinking again," Provenza said flatly. Sharon's eyes flew open, wide.

"What?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

Provenza sighed and nodded, as he sat, "Yeah," he rubbed his hand over his face, "He's devastated. He started drinking again right after Christmas. I haven't been able to dig him out yet. You know," he shrugged, "has to be his decision."

Sharon started crying there in front of Provenza, and as she currently sat in her hotel bathroom on the floor, thinking back, she knew that was a load of hormones on top of everything else crashing down on her.

So, there she sat with Provenza, telling him everything-her thing with Steve, discovering that he was married, and her more recent lingering thoughts on the source of her "jet-lag." Provenza sat there, taking it all in, eyes almost popping out of his head. When she finished, he sighed and stood, "Look, you have made a mess, a huge one of everything. I can't fix it. You can only fix yourself; you can't even pull him out of his drinking stupor. Now, if your mess is as big as you are thinking it could be, you need to find out. You need to find out just how bad this is before you can do anything about it. You hurt him, something I was afraid would happen for years. Your behavior is truly awful; you and I both know that. He's first and foremost my best friend. I'm trying to help both of you, but know, he's my best friend, so I'll leave you with that," and Provenza put on his white crime scene hat and left nodding, "Good luck, whatever that means."

So, here she sat, a few days later in Tampa-the city where things seemed to continue to fall apart-alone and pregnant. She was pregnant; the five tests all said the same thing-pregnant, not menopause, not jet lag-pregnant. At this point, she had to be at least three months along, if not more. It was already April, and she'd been making bad decisions with Steve during December and January. Oh, what was she going to do now? She thought about that as she rubbed the stomach below her. 50 and pregnant, she shook her head. Surely, she'd broken some sort of world record for that, just her luck. No, 50, pregnant, and completely miserable for ruining the best thing she ever had.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thanks for the feedback and the reviews! I really appreciate it and glad people realize that I'm not "hoping" any of this happens! I also want to clarify that while Sharon seems to hate Tampa now (haha), I have no ill will to the place. I like Tampa (and every other city mentioned) very much. Sharon's mess continues...**

It was another three weeks before Sharon got home and an appointment with her longtime physician, Dr. Collins. Dr. Collins had delivered both Emily and Ricky, and she was just a bit older than Sharon. The two had hit it off instantly decades ago now and had remained friends throughout, so she was in complete surprise when Sharon showed up on her OB panel for the day.

Eyebrows raised, she entered the room with pursed lips looking at Sharon. Sharon closed her eyes and shook her head, "Don't start," Sharon sighed. "I've already have every reaction possible."

Dr. Collins nodded, and she began the exam without saying anything personal. Sharon knew she'd explain things to her, but she had to get through this first. Sharon sat in that office, tears running down her face through the whole thing. There was no denying it; she was visibly pregnant. She'd only managed to hide it from Rusty because when her plane had finally landed the night before, she'd had on her overcoat and all when Rusty and Gus picked her up. She'd held her purse close to her and silently thanked herself that Rusty wasn't a big hugger. The next morning, she told Rusty she wanted to get some sleep and had errands to run, with the promise they would meet for dinner. She had a lot to discuss with Rusty, with all her kids, but she needed to start with Rusty, the one who would certainly see the change.

"Well, Sharon," Dr. Collins spoke up, the first things she'd really said, "we'll go ahead and do an ultrasound. Based on just your appearance, I need to scold you for not getting in her soon. Your age alone is problematic, and there is a battery of tests we need to run to see if the little peanut is doing okay. You really needed to have been in here awhile ago, but at this point, reminding you of that isn't going to help. So, let's get the ultrasound going and see where you are. Do you know how many weeks you are now?"

Sharon shook her head and began the story, some of it, "No, I mean, it was most likely January, so whatever that means. I'm not sure. I guess I'm just glad I never did gain much weight with Ricky or Emily, and I am thin now to begin with," she shrugged.

Dr. Collins nodded, "Yes, I looked back at your notes, really I had to dust them off," she gave Sharon a glare, "but you're right. You never did gain much weight, but this is a whole different story. You're much older, and yes, as your doctor, I'm allowed to say that. Other factors can come into play too like the baby's father. I'm guessing it's not Jack?"

Sharon remained tight-lipped but shook her head, "No, it's not. He's not involved and won't be."

Dr. Collins gave Sharon a sympathetic look, "Sorry to hear that. This will be that much harder then, and you'll need to have a support system. I know your kids aren't living here anymore are they?

"Just Rusty," Sharon sighed, placing her hand on her stomach as they got her ready for the ultrasound, "and, he's in college, so I don't want this to be his problem. I'll deal with it."

"Okay, well, you think January, so let's take a look," she nodded, as she started to move the ultrasound around. "Hmm, well, what do you want to hear?"

Sharon sat halfway up, looking at the screen, "What do you mean?"

"Sharon, there's no mistaking it-it's twins. There are two babies in there, which might account for your obvious stomach already, but I'll have to do all the marker checks to see where you are. Sharon, this is even more serious. While at your age, it's rare, but at the same time, for your age, your body does weird stuff. Looks like when you thought it was menopause, it wasn't, and you've got two babies in there."

Sharon had a look of horror on her face, "Twins? You can't be serious? This mess keeps getting worse," she started crying, something also very un-Sharon like. "I can't be having twins. I was dealing with the idea of how different life, retirement, was going to be now that I have to resort myself to preschool pickup and middle school science fairs again. Twins! Oh, this is awful," she sobbed.

Dr. Collins put down the ultrasound wand, "There, there, Sharon. Look, let's get the tech in here to do all the measurements. Based on what I saw, you look pretty far along, Sharon. We need to get this figured out now so we can go from here. Amazingly, your blood pressure was decent today, but that is one major concern, so you need to calm down."

Sharon continued to sniffle as she caught her breath, "Twins. The biggest mess of her life had gotten even worse. Why couldn't she have continued to ignore it? Oh, right? It was growing in front of her very eyes, and it had popped a couple weeks ago when all of a sudden none of her clothes fit. Her meltdown in Tampa seemed like months ago, not just a couple weeks ago. Once she'd pulled herself off the floor that day, she'd gone out and blown her clothing budget for the year on things that fit. She figured if her situation wasn't going away anytime soon, she'd better have clothing that fit, plus, if the clothing fit, it wasn't such a reminder of what was under the clothing, growing away, minute by minute.

Sharon's memory was jolted back to reality when the ultrasound tech came in with Dr. Collins to start checking on the babies-oh, the BABIES. Two of them. It couldn't get worse, well it could if something was wrong with them. Sharon bit her lip and pulled herself up to watch the screen.

"Sharon, you thought January, right? It's looking like the measurements, even for two babies, well, it's looking like you are 18 weeks along, maybe just a little further. We can see there are two, and I can definitely tell you what they are if you want to know each baby's gender?" the tech offered.

Sharon's eyes flew open, "I'm that far along? I really didn't think I was," she shook her head. The first time. Tampa. It had to be Tampa, the city where everything seemed to always go wrong. Tampa was now where she'd broken everything off with Andy, then months later first gotten together with Steve, where all of this had now been documented as happening, and of course, the same place a month later Andy had discovered what she'd done. Tampa, a city she really had liked was now somewhere she didn't want to see again.

"Yes, you are definitely that far along," the tech said. "You didn't know you were pregnant?" the tech questioned.

Sharon fell back on the table, "Oh, no, I knew. I was the idiot trying to deny it," she huffed, as more tears formed. What was wrong with her? She was a blubbering mess. Sharon sat up quickly again, "Wait, you said you could tell me what I'm having? Really?"

The tech nodded, "Yup, so do you want to know? Everything else looks good, amazingly. No offense, but with your age, lack of care, that's really a blessing."

Sharon nodded, taking everything in, "Yes, what am I having?"

The tech smiled, "Fraternal twins, a boy and a girl."

Instead of the pure joy she should feel for things being okay and then for knowing she was having a hopefully healthy baby boy and girl, she started crying again. The tech finished up and quickly left, placing some photos on the table for Sharon.

Dr. Collins cleared her throat as Sharon continued her breakdown, "Sharon, we have a lot to discuss. You still have other important tests to see if these little people are okay in there. There's also the matter of added stress," she said sternly looking at Sharon who was still trying to stop crying, "and the future. You had mentioned a lot of travel for a new job. That's going to have to change. These babies are due around the end of September, earlier due to your age and twins, for sure. With it already the end of April, you don't have a lot of time, but I think you have a lot of life changes to make. So, sit up, get dressed, and we'll sit down to figure this out."

Sharon left the office an hour and a half later, totally exhausted, equipped with pictures of her babies. Oh gosh, two more babies. The advice given was to figure out a different job arrangement because months of travel wouldn't work for a pregnant woman with her issues and then as a single mom with two infants at home. Sharon found herself wandering around a baby store. She didn't have anywhere else to go, and she didn't to go home and face Rusty yet, on the off chance he'd be home this afternoon. He'd gotten groceries before she returned, so she was free for the afternoon. She wandered around, looking at all the happy faces, realizing she wasn't happy at all. She glazed over all the stuff, so much more stuff than when she had Emily or Ricky; it was overwhelming, and she'd already done this twice. She wandered around in there for over an hour, leaving empty handed. While these babies were a reality, the fact she needed to get ready for them was not.

Rusty texted her later that he was picking up Chinese, her favorite. Except, she couldn't stomach the idea. Luckily, she hadn't been one who got sick with pregnancy, but certain foods didn't sound great to her. Chinese didn't, but she couldn't exactly tell Rusty that on text-sorry, the two babies I'm carrying aren't into Chinese. So, she said she'd see him soon.

Rusty arrived, and Sharon had strategically seated herself at the kitchen table, working on her laptop. After Rusty put all the food out and stopped talking, which took awhile; he was glad Sharon was home, he asked her how her day was.

"Rusty, there's something I need to tell you," Sharon said, tears welling up again.

"Something's wrong! You're sick, right? Gus and I didn't say anything last night, but we both thought you looked bad. What's wrong?" he asked in a panic.

Sharon patted his arm, "Rusty, hold on," and Sharon stood, and with her shirt, she didn't want to admit was getting too tight, showed Rusty the problem. "Rusty, I'm pregnant."

Rusty dropped his fork onto his plate, his shocked expression mirrored that of ones Sharon had had the last few weeks, "What?" he asked, "I didn't think you could- "Wait, so this is great. Andy didn't mention to me things were going so well, but I guess you don't want to hear that kind of talk from your parents," he nodded, "Sharon, you like look pretty pregnant. Why didn't you tell me? I just had dinner with Andy two nights ago, and he didn't say anything. Where is he? Shouldn't he be here?"

"Rusty," Sharon patted his arm to stop his rant, as she sat back down, sat back now and rested her arms on her visible rounded stomach, "Rusty, this is the hard part, one I'm not proud of at all. It's not Andy's."

Rusty's shock remained. He was speechless, as he put together what she'd just said, "What do you mean it's not Andy's? Sharon, whose is it?"

Sharon rested her hands on her stomach and absentmindedly started running circles on it with her hands, "Rusty, while I don't want to get into the specifics, I was involved with someone through work, and that created this mess and more. I broke things off with Andy," she added.

Rusty, still stunned, nodded, "Yeah, I know, awhile ago, but he kept saying he wanted to get you back. I know he flew to Tampa to see you. He's kept up with where you are every single week, and when he heard you were going back to Tampa, well he mumbled something about needing to fix what he messed up there. I thought me had. He hasn't said much to me since about it, other than my telling him what city you are in each week, but honestly, I thought that was because you two were talking a lot more, and he didn't need to ask."

Sharon put her hand on top of Rusty's, "Honey, no. It's such a mess," she caught her breath, "he saw me with the man, Steve, a man I am definitely not seeing anymore. I made such a mess," she said as she let out a sob before she caught herself.

"So, that's really not his kid?" he pointed.

Sharon shook her head, saddened, "No, with all my heart, I wish it was, but no."

"You're like old, Sharon, and seeing someone else? I thought you loved Andy. Here I am, not wanting to know any of this stuff, but Sharon, you guys have been like my parents. You're supposed to stay together!" Rusty exclaimed.

Sharon nodded, "You're right. We are. I did love Andy. I do love Andy; I just freaked out and convinced myself I was better without him. I guess you could say I had a mid-life crisis, and I can't tell you how much I regret that now. "

"So, what about this guy, Steve? Is he like going to be around here all the time now? I finally got used to Andy; he's not going to replace Andy," Rusty sighed.

Sharon shook her head, "No, he will absolutely not be involved. I still need to deal with that, but I can promise you he will not. Rusty, I can't discuss all that right now. I will, but know I'm having a hard-enough time with all this," she said, tears forming again.

Rusty patted her arm, "Sharon, it's going to be okay. I'm really irritated with things, and I can't believe you did this to Andy, but I'm still your son. I'm not going to like leave or anything. Wait, what did Andy say about this? Oh, this could be bad," he shook his head.

"He doesn't know. I need to deal with him next," she sighed. "This," she waved at her stomach, "isn't going away, and I'm afraid it could get worse before it gets better where Andy is concerned. There's something else I need to tell you regarding Andy."

Rusty looked at her puzzled.

"Rusty, Andy has been drinking again, and I'm afraid it's because of me. He started drinking again after he came to Tampa and saw me with Steve," Sharon stated.

Rusty sat there, stunned, "Are you sure? He wasn't drunk when we had dinner."

Sharon nodded, "Lieutenant Provenza told me, yes. I don't know if he's still drinking, but I at least know he has been. That's something I want to find out."

Rusty shook his head, "So, all of this-that kid in there, Andy drinking-you are the root of it? You and some guy? Sharon, I know you weren't like that with Andy, but really?"

Sharon nodded, "Rusty, I've made a lot of mistakes recently that I'm not proud of nor can I change. My life is more of a mess now than when I was tangled up in Jack's messes," she sighed.

Rusty just sat, silent, and finally he spoke, "So, that," he indicated pointing at her stomach, "that little problem there as you'll probably call it, when are you due? Are you like healthy and all?"

Sharon sighed, "I had my first appointment today. Rusty, I have tried to deny the obvious for a long time. I tried to convince myself I couldn't be pregnant for a long time, even though I could see this stomach forming before my eyes."

"Sharon, there's like no question you are pregnant. How did I not see it last night?" he asked.

"I was careful, coat and bags," she shrugged, "and believe me, I know it's obvious. It's not just a little "holiday weight" or something. I had my first appointment, and we are healthy. The issue is the we part," Sharon trailed off.

"Why do I get the feeling there's more-just tell me, Sharon," Rusty explained.

"It's twins," Sharon said, tearing up again. "My awful life mess, this terrible mistake, it's resulting in not one, but two babies. I messed up so badly," she sobbed.

Rusty jumped up, trying to console her, but not knowing what to do. He'd never seen Sharon fall apart like this; she'd always been so put together. Granted she'd never been pregnant, and yeah, this was a huge mess.

Rusty hugged Sharon for a few minutes until she waved him away, "I'm sorry. I've been crying non-stop. Rusty, I just hope you aren't too disappointed in me. I've done one terrible thing after another, and I'm sorry."

"Sharon, you've never judged me, and I'm not going to judge you. Yeah, it's disappointing to hear what happened, and it doesn't sound like you, but I get that you were in a bad place. I'm just sorry it's a mess. Worst of all, I can't believe Andy fell apart too. Sharon, we have to help him," Rusty added.

Sharon hummed, "Rusty, if I've learned anything, you can't help people unless they want to be helped, but hopefully, he does. Keep doing things with him. I'm glad that hasn't stopped. I wasn't ready to be helped for awhile; I had convinced myself that my new, carefree lifestyle was a good idea, until it wasn't. Now, I'm ready for help, but I don't think anyone can help me. Andy-it has to come from within himself, but he loves you very much; don't forget that, and don't turn your back on him."

"Well, yeah," Rusty shrugged, "Awhile ago, he said something about that he'd always be there for me, no matter what. I guess that's what he meant."

Sharon nodded, "Rusty, if it's okay with you, I'm not going to eat. I don't have an appetite right now. Oh, and please, I'll tell Emily and Ricky this week, but please don't say anything. There are things I need to handle first, starting with Andy before I do any more damage."


	3. Chapter 3

Sharon excused herself from the table and worked on her own appearance. The crying had to stop; she was doing it all the time. She heard Rusty cleaning up in the kitchen and said a silent prayer that the discussion with him had gone well. Once she finished making herself somewhat presentable, she put a cardigan sweater over her very tight shirt, one that she knew she couldn't wear anymore, but once again, she didn't have a lot of options. Her shopping spree had been mostly to purchase work clothing, and tonight, she was not in work mode at all, far from it. Quite frankly, she cursed the job and everything that had come as a result. She put on the sweater to deter some of the obvious curves she'd developed. Where she was headed, she couldn't hide the babies, but she didn't want to flaunt it at all, if ever.

"Rusty, I'll be back later," she said sadly, "Please don't wait up."

Rusty came from around the kitchen corner, curious, "Sharon, where are you going? Are you like okay to be driving and stuff?"

Sharon chuckled, the first humor she'd had in awhile. Bless Rusty sometimes for his comments, "Yes, Rusty. I'm fine. I'm pregnant, not incapacitated. Rusty, I am going to talk to Andy. I don't know if I'll be there five minutes or two hours-I hope he'll talk to me. I don't know if he will, but I need to tell him everything now."

"Is he even home?" Rusty asked.

Sharon nodded, "Yes. I know Lieutenant Provenza doesn't want to hear from me right now, and I respect that. He's Andy's best friend, but Julio knows something is wrong, and he's texted me several times, worried about Andy. I told him I was home and asked if they were working. They aren't."

Rusty nodded at her response, "Well, good luck, Sharon. Call me if you need anything."

The drive to Andy's seemed like an eternity, but thankfully, his living room light was on. Sharon sighed as she pulled into his driveway; it had been a very long time since she'd been here, a much happier time. It sickened her to think how things had spiraled out of control, all because she felt like she needed to push Andy away, the one person who loved her more than anything.

She knocked, and to her somewhat surprise, he answered. He didn't say anything; he just scowled and walked away, leaving the door wide open. Sharon stepped inside, noting his normally immaculate home was covered in bottles of alcohol, some empty and some not. She sighed and looked up to see him moving around in his kitchen, obviously trying to ignore her, "I didn't know if you would answer," she said softly.

Without making any eye contact, he said gruffly, "Well, the one thing I know about you is you are too stubborn for your own good, and I knew you'd sit out there until I did. I'd like to get this over and get back to my evening."

Sharon nodded, looking around, moving further into the room. Andy finished making his salad, and he moved from the kitchen area back toward his couch. Normally, he would be the perfect host, perfect gentleman, but with good reason, he wasn't happy to see Sharon right now.

"Andy," she sighed, looking at all the alcohol, "you are better than this."

Andy gave her a look, the first time their eyes had met since he'd looked into her eyes in her hotel room. Oh, she missed those gorgeous brown eyes. She'd messed up so badly, "Yeah?" he questioned, glancing at her, "Well, that," he pointed at her stomach, "you're so much better than that, Sharon. For once, you're the one who has messed up the rest of her life, not me. No, I may have fallen off the wagon, but I can get back on it. That-your growing problem there-that's going to be a daily reminder to you, to me, to everyone who knows you just how badly you screwed up."

Sharon fought back tears. He was right, and he knew. Obviously, he could see by looking at her, but he wasn't surprised. He knew. She looked at him; he was eating his salad, sitting on his couch, not looking at her, "Provenza?" she asked.

"Of course!" Andy barked, "Unlike you, he's still my best friend and wouldn't hurt me for anything. Of course he told me. He even said he knew if I wasn't at rock bottom yet, that your news might do me in. What do you want me to say? Congratulations! It's a baby! Not my baby-well, thank you very much. Didn't know you had it in you still, Sharon, but thanks so much for not making me a baby daddy. No, why would I have ever wanted that with the one woman I loved for years with all my heart?" he shook his head, and she could see he was trying to calm himself down.

Sharon choked back a sob; she had it coming, and she knew it. It still hurt. Sharon sat down; she was worn out from everything, and this wasn't ending anytime soon.

"I don't know why you are wasting your time, Sharon. You made your choice. I'm making mine. Why don't you go and find your new man, the new love of your life, and get back to your happy life with him. I will just say that I want to thank you for not ruining the color purple. I can't get the image out of my head with you standing in the doorway in a bright red robe with him hanging all over you. Thank you for not wearing purple. That was my favorite color on you, and at least I can still have that."

Sharon closed her eyes, taking in what Andy had said. She could still see that scene too-Andy's face, the flowers, feeling Steve whisper in her ear. She shuddered now thinking about it.

"We're not together," Sharon said softly.

Andy looked up and shrugged, "Ran off another one when he wanted to commit? So, let me guess? World record for marriage proposals? He ask, trying to make an honest woman of you, and you turned him down too, Sharon? Wow, that's low, even for you."

Sharon shook her head, "Andy, no. My life has been a spiral of mistakes. I've made them all, starting with my leaving you here in LA. I made it worse when I turned you down; I still love you with all my heart. I ruined our relationship with Steve; I know that, and you are right-this," she pointed to her stomach, "is my constant, daily reminder for the rest of my life what a mistake I made. I'm here to apologize. I can't win you back, but I can apologize and hope we can one day be friends. I'm also here to beg you to stop drinking. Rusty was devastated to hear, and I want to thank you for being a good parent to him when I was off on some mid-life crisis. Please, for him, if not for me, stop drinking. Do it for your kids-Tony, Nicole, and even Rusty. Do it for your grandsons."

Andy waved her off, "Sharon, if you're done, I'd like to get back to my evening. I really don't want your mistake there in my face. Looks like your little fling was going on quite awhile if you're that far along. Did you run to him after you turned me down? "

Sharon bit her lip, "Andy, I have so much to tell you. He was my boss, and I didn't know he was married. I ended things, even before that, or I was going to, and then his wife showed up. I've been in denial I was pregnant for so long, hoping that it wasn't a mistake that I'd have to own up to. Today, I had my first appointment, and I'm already almost halfway through this pregnancy-further along than I thought. Now, I have a reason to hate Christmas," she shook her head, "so, no, it wasn't going on then. It looks like right at Christmas," she sighed. "I know you don't want the details, but you needed to hear that. It's also twins-a boy and a girl, which makes for even more health complications."

Andy still refused to look at her, even though she could tell the information had completely taken him by surprise. Instead, while still eating his salad, "Well, that's just great, Sharon. Two reminders of everything. Took that job without talking to me about it, and look at everything that's happened as a result. Well, I guess it's good you made all that money because with two new kids at your age, you're going to need the money. Sounds like your job, the travel and all, is going to be interesting with a double stroller. Thanks for the update, Sharon."

Sharon just sighed, rolling her head onto the back of the recliner, Andy's favorite chair. Anything he said was correct, and she couldn't blame him for the anger, the frustration. She knew he hadn't been drinking tonight, at least yet, and she really had no idea if he was still drinking. The bottles were all over, but were they old? Had he stopped? Somehow, she'd have to talk to Provenza and at least find that much out. She still loved Andy, even if she'd ruined the best thing in her life. So, with him still eating, she just sat there. Andy didn't say anything else to her, and she just sat, staring at the baseball game on tv. Ironically, it was the most at peace she'd been in months, but it was the worst she'd felt in months. She'd betrayed Andy in the worst possible way, and here she was having to lay out every detail for him. Sharon sat until she was almost asleep. Andy didn't' utter a word to her all evening, and at almost midnight, Sharon stood up and walked to the door. She opened the door and just uttered, "Good Night Andy."

Sharon didn't hear from Andy the rest of the week she was in town. She had a lightened travel schedule since it was the off-season, but it was still busy. She had tracked down Provenza, only after she stopped by his house one night, where Patrice welcomed her, even if Provenza only glared at her continually bulging stomach. He did relay that he didn't think Andy was still drinking. Yes, he'd seen the bottles at Andy's place, but he thought they were old. Andy had been drinking straight for a couple of months, but he'd been going to his AA meetings since. Provenza had tried to get Andy to clean up the bottles, but Andy said they needed to stay for the time being as a reminder to his messed-up life. Sharon left that night with the promise that she wasn't going to keep hurting Andy and asked Provenza and Patrice to please keep her informed if Andy started drinking again. They did. As much as they hated what Sharon did, they knew she deep down, cared about him and didn't want to see him spiral downward.

Instead, the night before she had to fly out again, thankfully to Detroit and nowhere near Tampa, she waited on the steps outside of Andy's AA meeting. She wasn't sure if he'd be there, as she drove to the meeting, but this was his usual night, his usual meeting, so she waited. When the meeting ended and people started filing out, she stood, looking for him. Soon, he walked out, alone. He looked tired, worn out. He saw her; she wasn't hard to miss with her protruding stomach now, and he scowled, a look she didn't miss. He put his hands in his pocket and continued walking, all the while not acknowledging she was there. Sharon simply waited for him to hit the step she was on, and then she walked alongside him the rest of the way down the stairs. Andy continued to his car without saying anything, and Sharon continued to walk alongside him, also silent. When Andy reached his car, he opened the door, and he turned to her, "Sharon, what do you want? I'm going home."

Sharon just nodded, "I'm glad you were at your meeting. I'm off to Detroit in the morning, and I just wanted to tell you I'm proud of you. And, before I go, I'll tell you what I always tell the people I love the most in my life-'While I'm gone, be safe and be kind," and with that, Sharon turned and walked toward her car, parked just across the street.

It just so happened that Sharon had to see Steve in Detroit, something she knew was coming. She wasn't looking forward to it, but the time had to come, sooner or later. She was now 20 weeks after being home a couple of weeks. 20 weeks with twins-she was pregnant, and it was catching the eye of others at work. Steve wasn't due in until the following day for the last meeting of this trip, and she was ready for him. She'd thought this over and over in her head, and she hoped it went as she'd planned.

Sharon made sure that Steve, like Rusty, saw her seated at the table first. That required her getting to the meeting well ahead of time, but while there, she had time to text with Emily. Oh, Emily and Ricky. They were furious with her, furious she'd messed up things with Andy. They hadn't been exactly surprised when her marriage to Jack ended, but they were surprised when they'd heard she had ended things with Andy. Two new siblings, well, that floored both of them. Neither were as supportive as Rusty, and right now, she didn't have time to reflect on those conversations, but neither had gone well. Since then, Emily had spoken to her only on text to just check in to see where in the US she was and how she was feeling. Sharon hoped she could repair those relationships too, just two more to add to the list of things she needed to fix.

Steve entered and barely gave her a nod, and the meeting started. He hadn't noticed anything yet, but Sharon had worked hard to make sure that was the case. He sat across the table from her, and she sat so close to it, she swore one if not both, babies could kick the table. She felt Steve looking her over even from across the table, ogling her. Once the meeting ended, she pounced, just as she wanted.

"Gentlemen, there is one thing I still need to discuss," she smiled sweetly at her colleagues around her. They all turned to see what she had to say.

She sat back and cradled her stomach, "Seems as if I've had quite the late in life surprise here, and well, it's going to affect my travel and all for a bit," she said as she put on the fakest smile of her life. All eyes popped out; yes, she had done it. She glanced toward Steve to see him there, ghostly white. She gave him a glance, one that indicated everything, the 'Yes, it's yours" glance.

"Oh, ahh, well, Sharon, that is a surprise," Don said, who oversaw the schedule. "Perhaps, we can meet again in Denver in two weeks to go over this. I'll look at things."

Sharon nodded, "That would be fine. Thank you."

After a murmur of congratulations around the table, the group of men, all in disbelief, got up and scurried out. Sharon knew she was about to be the topic of conversation for the evening. Steve lingered, just as Sharon had hoped.

"So, you got back together with that guy, Andy, right?" he said nervous.

Sharon crossed her arms over her stomach, which was harder than it had ever been and glared at him-her famous glare, "Now, that would be a lovely storybook ending, but you and I both know this," she pointed and crossed her arms again, "is your doing, our doing. Tampa ring a bell? If not Tampa, let me see, maybe I can name all the other cities we were together. I'm sure you wife would love to hear that, wouldn't she? Oh, a wife? That's right. You never told me that, and granted I should have been more direct in asking, but you led me to believe you were divorced. Now, sit, and we are going to talk because there's no way you are getting this baby. Oh, sorry, let me rephrase. I forget sometimes, this pregnancy brain and all. It's twins. Congratulations, you're so good, we're having twins. Bet you didn't know that was possible with someone my age."

Sharon had already decided she didn't want to get into the twin factor if she didn't have to, but it just came spilling out. Steve's reaction to the news of two new children was almost laughable. Steve sat, without argument, and he begged her not to tell his wife, whom Sharon found out, the lovely wife, was pregnant again. Apparently, Steve had every intention of keeping his happy little family intact.

"Now, here's how it's going to go. Do you want these babies?" Sharon asked.

"Of course not! We were just a little fun. This would ruin my marriage. She'd leave me today, already threatened once when she caught me with a team cheerleader. I managed to put the pieces back together. I want out of this, whatever it takes," he blubbered. "I can't have three kids with a wife who left me and two with you, just, just some fun," he sighed.

"Good. The first thing I'm going to do to get my life back is protect my babies. You don't want them, and I don't want you around them. Now, you're going to sign these documents that I already had the legal department here draw up. I'd be happy to have them put your name on the papers, but I didn't know if you wanted that gossip going around. So, you can sign away any rights, and I'll make sure to stay out of your way. There will be other paperwork coming, but let's make a clean break from each other right now. The fact I let myself be drawn in by you disgusts me, and I'm going to put my life back together, even if the future resembles nothing I had planned."

Steve was very quick to sign Sharon's paperwork where she promised to not name him at the father and also promised not to go after him for any child support as long as he didn't pursue the child in question, well actually children. Sharon had it spelled out to say child(children) on the documents just to cover her bases, and Steve could care less. It was obvious he didn't want her anywhere around him, and she felt the same. Basically, by the end of the signing, Sharon had her babies to herself, no ties to Steve, and she promised never to contact him or his wife for anything. In the future, Sharon would tell her babies she'd briefly known their dad, but the details, well, she'd work those out when the time came.

With a quick swoop, Sharon collected all the paperwork and turned to Steve, "Make sure we aren't in the same cities anymore. Thank you," she nodded and left. Anyone looking in would have thought Sharon was the boss, not Steve, and that's how she had wanted that conversation to go.

Sharon returned to LA the next day, and for the first time in months, she actually felt like she'd done something positive. Her life was a mess, but no mess was cleaned up easily.

 **A/N-Now, we're in fantasy land anyways, so we're pretending all the legal stuff is legit and exactly what Sharon needed to do. I'm not a lawyer, haha.**


	4. Chapter 4

Sharon returned home, and that Thursday evening, she didn't sit on the stairs, but she did sit in her car to watch and make sure Andy was still at his meeting. He was; she watched him get in his car and head home. She was glad that while she'd caused him such heartache, he was getting back on track. Sharon decided that she really needed to regain Andy's friendship. Anything else, she knew, was out of the question, long gone. Besides, she had two tiny beings making her life very uncomfortable. She'd had another appointment that morning, and amazingly, everything looked good. With the lack of care right away, even though Sharon had bought and started taking prenatal vitamins long before she was openly ready to acknowledge her growing problem, the babies were doing well. She'd had all the specialized testing, and remarkably, neither twin had any issues. Her blood pressure was slightly up, but still within normal range. Sharon had been walking everyday, not too much, but enough to get some exercise. She had already messed things up enough; she didn't need preemies with problems to add to the mix. So, while she wasn't at all at peace with adding two more children, two more Raydors ironically to her life, that was where she was-trying to get the babies here in the healthiest way possible.

So, in her attempt to mend fences with Andy, which was a very basic term for the horrendous damage she had done to him, she came up with a plan. She would check on him every Thursday evening she was in town, and on Friday night, she would stop by his house. Friday used to be their standard date night, well before they were ever actually calling it date night. Friday was there night, even after she'd trashed their relationship to pieces, she still thought of him every Friday night. It didn't matter what they'd do, but they'd spent it together for the last four years now almost. Movies, dinner out, dinner in, Nicole's house, watching Rusty play chess-anything together on Friday nights. When there was a case, they always made sure to text each other at some point on those evenings, usually the same message, "Miss our Friday night." So, since Sharon was going to be back in town a little more in the off season, she decided to go to Andy's house. He could throw her out, lock her out, but she was going to try. She pulled up at 6:30, which was a pretty common time they'd get together. She'd already eaten, knowing that things could go badly right away. Andy was home; his car was in the driveway, and his lights were on. This time, she decided to just enter the house. She'd always done that, and the last time she'd been here, it felt odd knocking, but then again, she didn't feel she had the right to just walk in. So, she entered, being bold, but she didn't know what else to do. The tv was on, and it smelled like he had a lasagna in the oven. He wasn't anywhere in the living area, so she just sat down, and to no surprise, there was a baseball game on. Sharon didn't take the recliner this time, knowing it was Andy's favorite chair, and to be honest, it smelled so much like him, it hurt her.

Sharon had been sitting there for a couple of minutes when she heard Andy walk down the hall. He must have been in his bedroom. She knew the layout by heart; she'd been here so much over the years. She glanced up as Andy walked into the room, and she heard him sigh as he spotted her. A shower. He'd gotten a shower, something she knew he liked to do after a long day. He had always said it felt good to wash off the dirt bags of the day when he got home, and looking at him now, she saw he was settling in for the night-sweats, LAPD t-shirt, oh he looked so nice. Andy ignored Sharon's presence and went to the kitchen, not saying a word to her. She heard him working away, getting his dinner ready. So far, he hadn't screamed at her, and he hadn't thrown her out. She watched as he got the casserole out of the oven, scooped some on his plate, got a glass of water, and sat down in his recliner. Again, not a word was spoken. Sharon kicked off her shoes, flats these days because who was she kidding anymore? She kicked off her flats and got comfortable, alluding to the fact she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon unless he kicked her out. Sharon remained there until late again, and throughout the whole night, Andy never said one word to her. Sharon never said a word either. The game ended; the news came on, and again, as it was close to midnight, Sharon stood, walked to the door, and said, "Good night, Andy."

After that weekend, Sharon had a quick trip to Seattle that week, but she was back before the end of the week. Her trip to Denver was coming up, and she wasn't looking forward to that. She'd have to see Steve again, and that was going to be an awkward mess. So, she made her trip to Seattle and was back on Wednesday. What surprised her was that on Wednesday, she received a call from Julio. Julio, the sweet guy. He had no idea the details; he'd told her exactly that, so he didn't know about the twins, but he knew there was some sort of mess. Julio had kept in touch; he'd made no secret of it, telling Provenza he was checking on the Captain, as he still called her, while Provenza took care of Andy. Sharon had been home from Seattle about two hours when Julio called.

"Ma'am," he started, "you need to hear this. There's been a shooting at the courthouse. It's this trial-terrible shooting. Chief Taylor is dead. Lieutenant Flynn took out the shooter. We're working it now, and we'll get it wrapped up, but I thought you needed to know," he said.

 *****OKAY AT THIS POINT, AUTHOR NOTE-AGAIN, THIS IS A/U, BUT ADDING SOME SHOW STORYLINE EVEN THOUGH TIMING IS SLIGHTLY OFF**

Sharon caught her breath in her throat as she talked through things with Julio. He assured her Andy was fine; the rest of the team was fine, but Taylor, Taylor was dead. She thanked Julio for telling her, and he promised to text her when they wrapped up. She knew Andy would have a rough time, even if he had taken out a dirt bag as she was sure he'd say.

Sharon thought about what she could do for Andy, and while it was mid-afternoon, she was sure he wouldn't get home until late. So, she decided to make a pot of soup, his favorite salad, and a cheesecake he liked that she always made. She'd at least make sure he ate, and she wanted to make sure he didn't drink again. Once it was ready, Sharon waited, and when Julio finally sent her a text that they were wrapping up, she drove over to Andy's.

Andy wasn't home yet when she arrived. She didn't think he would be, but she put the soup on and put the salad and cheesecake up. This time, she decided not to stay. She'd leave everything for him, but she knew he needed his space. Besides, she knew he would go to his meeting on Thursday, and she planned to come by again on Friday, so she left. She waited down the street in her car, and 15 minutes later, she saw Andy pull in. Confident she did what she could for the day, she drove home.

Sharon didn't hear from Andy that night, which wasn't a surprise, but she'd had a little hope he'd at least text her. She looked back, and her last text from him had now come months ago. It made her so sad; she missed his friendship, well everything, but missed being able to talk to him, more than anything. She was lonely, and yes, she knew she'd done it to herself. Rusty was rarely around anymore; he was with Gus or at school a lot, and she knew he wasn't happy with things. None of the kids were. If anything good had to come out of the mess, at least the kids were all talking to each other. She knew that much. Ricky was checking in with Rusty regarding Sharon, even if he wasn't speaking to her. Emily was only replying to text messages. Oh, she'd messed up with everyone.

So, as Sharon sat alone in her condo, hoping that Andy was at least eating a decent meal, she decided to start writing him letters, things she wanted to tell him every day. She decided she would write him a letter everyday, detailing her thoughts, and then each Friday when she was home, she'd leave the letters. She didn't know if he'd ever read them, but she'd at least leave them. He'd written her such a wonderful love letter from the hospital, and after that, he'd left them all over the condo for her when he was recovering. She could do the same now, even if the feelings weren't reciprocated.

So, again on Thursday, she was glad to see he was once again at his meeting. On Friday, she got to his house promptly at 6:30 again. She knew if he really didn't want her there, he wouldn't be home or he'd lock the door/throw her out, so she took that as progress. Now that she was becoming a creature of habit, she figured he didn't mind she was around.

This time, when she walked in, Andy was already seated in his recliner eating dinner. He didn't even glance up at her as she entered, and this time, instead of going right to the couch, she walked to the kitchen. She was hungry, and she knew Andy better than anyone; there was no doubt he had made dinner. He had, well sort of. She found her soup, reheated on the stove, and there was still some left. So, she effortlessly worked her way around his kitchen, which she still knew like the back of her hand. She got herself a bowl of soup, found there was still some of her pasta salad as well as cheesecake, so she made up her plate. She sat on the couch, and once again, she sat there all evening in silence. This time, when it was time to go, she got up, cleaned up her plate, and she left. It took everything she had not to use the bathroom while she was there, which was a problem that was getting increasingly worse, but she was intent on not moving once she reached that couch every Friday. This time, when she left, she said, "Good night, Andy. I'm going to write you a letter each day, letting you know what I'm thinking. Read them if you want or don't, but I'll leave them here on your entryway table.

It took everything she had that night not to ask about Taylor. Oh, it killed her inside knowing that Andy had to be affected by it. Major Crimes had been on the news; that much she had seen. Julio had let her know the funeral was going to be held in two weeks, which was a long time off, but Taylor's family had some travel arrangements to make to all get there. Sharon went home, where she curled up, and rubbed her babies as she tried to sleep. They were such innocent little things, and yet she still had no reason to be excited about them, happy about things, or anxious for their arrival. Their arrival, whenever it would come in September, would add a new layer of hurt to the mess she'd already created, an even more visible one than was already there.

Sharon did some shopping over the weekend, mostly for some new clothing for herself. Since the day she'd wandered around the baby store, she hadn't been back, and she wasn't ready to do so yet. Her trip to Denver was on Tuesday, and she was due back on Friday afternoon, giving her time to get to Andy's again for the evening. By Monday, she had packed and was ready for Denver. She wasn't ready for the phone call she got.

"Sharon, it's Fritz," he said into the phone.

"Fritz! Hi, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Listen Sharon, I know you heard about Taylor. It's just devastating to everyone here, such a loss," he told her.

Sharon nodded, "Yes, Fritz. I heard. I'm glad no one else was injured and that Andy could take him out, but I just can't get over all of it. So senseless," she sighed.

"Yes, but that brings me to my call. Sharon, I know you left the LAPD, but I've been asked to call you. Seems as if we have an opening for an Assistant Chief right now. They want me to do it, but I don't want to leave my current job, so they asked for an appropriate replacement candidate. Sharon, I'd like you to take the job, that is if we could possibly lure you back from your NFL job," he said.

Sharon gasped as she grabbed her stomach. Before she could say anything, Fritz continued, "Now, this would be an Assistant Chief job, I promise. Yes, you would get the promotion from the start. I know that was part of the problem when you took over Major Crimes. We know you are taking your retirement, but I already spoke to HR, and they promise they can work all that out. Sharon, it's a huge pay raise, and while I know it isn't what you were making with the NFL, I hope you will consider it."

Sharon cleared her throat, "Fritz, I would very much like to consider it yet. Things with the NFL aren't working out like I had hoped. Before I get any further, I need to tell you something, so you might want to sit down…"

Even after Sharon spilled her story, well most of it-the part that affected a job right now-that she was pregnant late in life, Fritz still offered her the job. He explained that he'd never known her not to be able to handle anything, and that if she was needing a reason to stop traveling, this job was it. It was a much safer job, the irony not lost on why she was replacing the previous occupant of the job, but it would give her much more regular hours, access to a daycare, and even back in the building she didn't know she'd missed so much. It would also put her closer to Andy and Major Crimes, all things she wanted. Once again, she'd be Andy's boss, but not his direct one, so she didn't see it as a problem. The only hurdle was her contract with the NFL, which she suspected they'd be glad not to renew. She knew that's what Steve would say, at least. They'd given her a one-year contract, partly so both sides could see how things would go. Seeing as she was almost at the end of that anyway, and she'd done an exceptional job for them, even with her current situation, she thought it would work out. That put a new light on her trip to Denver, and suddenly she was excited to go.

Sharon spent both the flight there and home writing her letters to Andy for the week. She explained the job; she knew he wouldn't talk to her in person, but she hoped he'd read about it. With the sudden loss of Taylor, Fritz and Sharon had agreed she'd start on Monday, that is if the NFL was okay with her leaving. They had been more than fine, noting that her new babies would not allow her the travel flexibility like she'd once had. So, Sharon found herself happy for the first time in months. She was finally getting back to the LAPD, starting in a stable job, taking a promotion, and she'd now have a stable home life for the twins. If only other things were that simple.

Sharon arrived home Friday afternoon, enough time to drive to Andy's by 6:30. She went straight there, not even going home first. There was not point; Rusty and Gus were out, and she felt that a conversation regarding Rusty and Gus was coming soon. She felt like he was about ready to move out, not that it surprised her, but it would be a giant step for Rusty, leaving the home he'd come to love.

Sharon arrived at Andy's at 6:45, going through the same motions. She walked in, Andy sighed, and he continued to look at the tv and not her. She walked to the kitchen; she was starving, and she found another casserole out of the oven. She made a plate and reclaimed her spot on the couch. Baseball was on again, and that went the rest of the evening. When she couldn't stand it anymore, Sharon made her way to the bathroom. Gone were the days she could make it all evening; the twins were wreaking havoc on her bladder nowadays, and she was already getting uncomfortable with this pregnancy. Her size, well, her size was huge already, quite the opposite of Emily and Ricky. She didn't know if that was all the fault of twins or the fault of having a different father to her babies. Regardless, she was huge and uncomfortable.

When Sharon walked back toward the living room, she spotted something she hadn't seen. Well, to her defense, she was coming at the kitchen counter from a different angle, but as she got closer, she saw an open box. When she got next to the counter, she drew in her breath. It was the engagement ring Andy had tried to give her months ago, all in its beautiful glory. Solitaire, princess cut, classy and simple-perfect for Sharon. It was placed there, by his pile of mail, so something he obviously had put there and she hadn't noticed it among the mail.

"Why is this there?" she asked, turning toward him with the box open. This had been the first conversation she'd actually attempted with him in weeks.

From where Andy was sitting, he could see what she was holding up, so he got up, walked to her, and snatched it from her, "It's a reminder to not start drinking again, regardless of the mess my life has become," he bellowed at her. "Case you hadn't noticed, I've had a bit of a rough time. This ring, this beautiful ring that carried so much hope, reminds me that you are in an even bigger mess, so while things with me are bad, it could always be worse," he snapped again, smacking the box back on the counter. With that, he turned and walked back to his chair and sat down. It was only then, she noticed, that none of the bottles of alcohol were still there. Come to think of it, they hadn't been there the last couple times she'd been there. Oh, Andy. She had hurt him so, so badly, more than she could ever imagine.

Sharon just nodded to herself and sat down again, rubbing circles on the sides of her stomach. The game ended, and when she got up to leave, she got out her letters of the week, most she'd written on the plane. When she left, she turned, "Good night, Andy. I've left you letters for each day this week. I hope you'll read them. There's some stuff in there I wanted you to know, especially this week," and as she put them down, she noticed last week's letters sat there, untouched.

Monday morning, Sharon arrived at work very early. She'd asked for Fritz to meet her before 7:00, so when she officially began at 8:00, she was ready. She'd only told Fritz she was pregnant, and that sadly, she and Andy weren't together. Fritz, being the great guy he was, hadn't pried, but had only asked if her taking the job would be an issue with Andy. She had assured him it wouldn't, and Fritz had left it at that. Fritz was still visibly surprised to see a very pregnant Sharon come into work. It was early June, and she was now almost at 25 weeks, which with each passing week, she was breathing a sigh of relief. The babies were getting stronger, and they were closer to being able to survive.

Sharon met Fritz, being the extreme professional she had always been. She had to admit-she did look quite absurd right now with a weapon on her and a protruding belly. Fritz ran through things, but luckily, Sharon was so familiar with everything, her "orientation" didn't take any time at all. Sharon knew the biggest surprise would be going into Major Crimes, which she planned to do right away. They had not been alerted to the change of command yet. Well, they sort of had. She'd detailed the job to Andy in her letter, but she had no idea if he'd read it. Fritz said he would speak to Provenza right away, who had taken over for Sharon. Sharon had yet to meet the new detective, Wes Nolan, who had come on board recently after an undercover stint, but Fritz told her he was good. So, she was excited and nervous at the same time-to see old friends but to expose what almost a year away had done. She had a feeling her pregnancy was going to be quite the shock, and even worse, the fact Andy wasn't the father was going to be the talk of the LAPD. For now, Sharon was owning her mistakes; she couldn't change it, and she'd have to face it sooner than later. Sooner was less than an hour away.


	5. Chapter 5

Prompty at 8:00, Fritz walked Sharon down to Major Crimes, walking ahead of her. Provenza had already told the team that Fritz was coming by with an announcement; he hadn't been told anything else himself yet either. So, at 8:00, Fritz and Sharon entered, with all eyes drawn. Sharon's presence wasn't immediately noticed, only because she didn't enter with the same familiar click of her heels. Instead, Fritz drew the attention, "Everyone, I'd like you to welcome your New Assistant Chief, someone very familiar to you. I think you'll be happy with this choice, and with that, Sharon came into sight. She was greeted with a silence, followed by the distinct sound of, "Holy Crap." No need to guess the person who had said that. Sharon surveyed the room, noting the complete shock on most people's faces. She'd never seen Detective Nolan, so he wasn't surprised, just intrigued. Amy was shocked, but giddy with happiness. Clearly, she had the wrong idea about Sharon's predicament. Julio was bug eyed, as was Tao. Buzz kept looking between Sharon and Andy. Provenza stood in his doorway, which was once Sharon's office, a cup of coffee in hand, mumbling, "Idiots," as he shook his head. Sharon's final glance landed on Andy. He sat at his desk, expressionless. Sharon didn't know if he had read the letter or not.

"Hello everyone," Sharon smiled warmly, "It's so good to be back. I've missed you all more than you know. I'm not going to try to hide this, but obviously, I've had a huge surprise this late in life," she patted her stomach. "This won't affect my job abilities as you know; you are the best team I've ever worked with, hands down. I plan to let you do your jobs, and if you need help, I'll be there, but I know what a talented team you are. I'll be off some this fall, but rest assured, Chief Howard here and the rest of the upper brass are aware, and we will make it work. Once I return then, things should get back to normal. So, I'd let to get started-Lieutenant," she turned to Provenza, "could I meet with you this morning, say around 9:30?"

Provenza stood there, mouth still open, before he snapped out of it, "Ahh, yes Captain, I mean, yes Chief, that's fine. Just me?"

"For now," Sharon nodded, "later this week, I'll need to meet with you and your second in command?" she said with a slight question to it, indicating she'd like to confirm who that was.

"Fine," he waved, "nothing new there. Flynn and I can meet with you later this week."

"Very good," Sharon nodded, "carry on everyone. Again, I'm so happy to be back," she clapped her hands together and nodded, turning to leave. It took every ounce of her being not to look at Andy. She wondered his reaction, and she could only guess the team would be buzzing about everything all morning.

"Holy crap," was muttered again as she left the room. Julio jumped up and ran over to the doorway to make sure she'd left. He nodded, and all eyes spun to Andy.

"Sir, this is so exciting!" Amy jumped up, clapping her hands together, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Provenza was still standing in his doorway and started to shake his head, "Sykes," he mumbled.

Andy just put his hand over his face and with the other hand he waved off everyone.

Amy noticed his expression, heard Provenza's comment and looked around. Everyone else had somber expression, everyone except Nolan.

"What did I miss?" she asked.

Julio shook his head, as did the others. They were elite detectives after all, "Sykes, if you haven't noticed, I don't think the Lieutenant is jumping for joy because I'm guessing the Captain-sorry, I mean the Chief-is pregnant, but not with his kid. Am I correct, Lieutenant? Is that why you've been so down?"

Andy just turned to the group, and he still didn't answer. Instead, he stood up, tapped the files on his desk that he was holding, and he walked off, heading past Provenza, "I'm getting some coffee," he nodded to Provenza, and Provenza just patted him on the shoulder.

Once he left the room, Amy spoke up again, "Oh my gosh! I had no idea. You all knew?"

"No, we didn't, but as soon as she walked in, all it took was a glance between her and Andy to see it," Tao added.

"What happened there?" Buzz asked. "That's something I never expected, even if I thought she'd have another kid, I never expected it wouldn't be with the Lieutenant."

"So, they're together?" Nolan asked, "Or, they were?"

"Yes," Julio nodded, confirming, "We watched that romance for the last several years. We all had a bet on their wedding. Instead, after Provenza got married, they broke up. They'd been together years here, and it hadn't affected work. Actually, the two work so well together it is scary. We've kept up with the Captain, but none of us," he looked to Provenza, "sorry, correction, some of us," he indicated Mike, Amy and Buzz, didn't know. I think we all believed they'd get back together, get through it. The Captain took the head security job for the NFL, so she's traveled most of the last year, but we all figured she'd get tired of that, come home, and marry the Lieutenant. Don't get the wrong idea-this wasn't some boss-subordinate thing; they really love each other, and well, we all like them together" he shrugged.

Wes just nodded, "Wow."

"Exactly," Provenza nodded. "Exactly."

"Sir" Julio turned to Provenza, "when's she due? She looks pretty far along."

Provenza waved off Julio's comment, "I'm not going to discuss the specifics. That's between the Captain and well, I don't know if it's even between the Captain and Flynn, but it's not my business. For work sake, I know she'd due sometime in September, so we get her all summer," he sighed. "Ye-the Chief! I mean the Chief. That's going to take some getting used to."

Everyone eyed each other, looking around. Andy was out of the room, so if anything was to be said, this was the time.

"I can't believe she'd do that to him" Buzz nodded.

"He still loves her," Julio added, to which the team nodded.

"I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual, even as bad as things are, and that my friends, is my last comment," Provenza nodded before disappearing into his office.

Once Sharon left the Murder Room, she stopped in the Break Rom for a cup of tea. She'd been up since before five, and her nerves were shot. As easy as she made that situation look, it had worn on her. She was also starving, and she pulled out the single yogurt she had brought with her and made a mental note to bring more tomorrow. If she was back, she needed to restock her teas and foods.

Andy walked in, not paying attention, until it was too late. He looked up and saw her pouring tea. She turned when she heard the door and smiled brightly when she saw he was there. She wasn't pushing her luck that he'd followed her, but she could treasure this brief encounter at work. These are the things she definitely missed.

"Needed a pick me up," she nodded to the yogurt and tea, "I hope my new job wasn't a surprise," she added, trying to find out if he'd read the letters.

Andy just nodded and moved around the kitchen. Suddenly, coffee didn't sound that great. He moved toward the pot to get his cup quickly because turning and leaving at this point would be obvious, and as he tried to do that, Sharon's stomach was in the way. He looked down, as she had her hand on it, and she moved aside.

"Sorry," she shrugged, "I seem to be in the way everywhere nowadays." Andy continued to stare at her stomach, which Sharon could tell; she knew he was looking at her HUGE mistake, literally and figuratively right in front of her. Once again, she wished she could change so many things in her life. It was then that Andy would always see her stomach, always see her babies for the mistakes they were. That saddened her, but she did understand.

Sharon gathered her things to give Andy some space and headed for the door, "Andy," she called back to him, "I hope we can work together. I told Fritz it wouldn't be a problem."

As she opened the door to leave, she heard Andy who quietly said, "It won't be an issue, Sharon."

Sharon spent the rest of the week settling into her job. She'd met with Provenza and other department heads. She'd even managed to meet with Provenza and Andy, which that meeting got cut very short, as they team was called out on a case. Provenza promised to update her as soon as he could. He, for one, was glad she was back. She could solve cases like no one else, and he was glad to have her brain back at work.

Provenza was also glad because while he knew Andy was hurting, he also knew the only thing that was going to help Andy was Sharon. In a sick and twisted way, Provenza knew Andy needed Sharon and Sharon needed Andy. If he had thought that the two shouldn't be together, there would be no discussion on the topic. Somehow, he knew the two idiots in love were still indeed, in love. They'd both made a mess of things; Sharon certainly was the one who'd selected to trash their relationship to pieces, but Andy had then done his part by falling apart and drinking. Luckily, he was picking up the pieces from that, and while he hadn't fully come to grips with the fact he'd lost a 21-year sobriety to Sharon's antics, Provenza knew it was still coming. Andy would have to acknowledge he'd started drinking because he had chosen to do so, just as Sharon had chosen another man, even if briefly. Both were mistakes, yes. Both hurt each other yes. Unfortunately, Sharon's was one that cut Andy to the core and would now be in plain sight every single day for the rest of both their lives.

By the end of the week, Sharon was really looking forward to going by Andy's place again. She'd decided not to keep checking on him at his meetings; she trusted him. She had to, and he seemed to be doing better. She couldn't wait to spend Friday evening with him, even if it meant not one word was said. Besides, he had spoken to her that week; he'd told her they could work together. It was to her disappointment that Major Crimes was called out on a case. Instead of going to Andy's she made plans to eat dinner at home with Rusty. Before she left the office, she glanced at her clock-6:15. She knew she needed to keep the tradition, the one they'd used for years, so she sent him a text, "Miss our Friday night." Sharon watched her screen and quickly saw it was delivered and read. No reply came, not that Sharon was surprised.

Her evening with Rusty was nice, but filled with another surprise.

"Sharon, I've been thinking," Rusty started as they were cleaning up dinner.

Sharon looked at him with a hum.

"So, I'm not ready to move in with Gus or anything, but I would like to move on campus. I'd still spend time with Gus, but I know you need space here, and I'd like to be on my own a bit, like in a normal way," he said nervously.

Sharon put the plates down she was cleaning, turned and walked to Rusty. She sighed and gave him a slight smile and hugged him, or well tried to, "Rusty, I'm sorry," she teared up, "I can't even hug my own son," to which Rusty turned to her side and hugged her.

"It's okay, Sharon," he nodded. "Just as well-the little aliens in there creep me out with the way you can feel them kick and stuff," he made a disgusted face.

Sharon laughed, and then she reacted, "Rusty, that is your brother and sister in there. They are not aliens."

Rusty rolled his eyes, "Whatever Sharon. So, about campus?"

Sharon braced her arm as she felt the babies really kick, "Whew, sorry, Rusty. That was painful. Rusty, you don't have to leave. We can work out something. I can-" she was stopped by Rusty putting his arms on her shoulders.

"Sharon, I am ready. I want to move out, to be on my own as a normal person. Yeah, I was on my own before, but you know, that was like a mess. Now, I have you, Gus, school, Andy," he stopped when he saw Sharon drop her head.

"Sorry, Sharon," he said, "I won't bring him up."

Sharon perked up, "No, no, Honey. I'm glad you spend time with Andy. He's been a big part of your life."

"Yeah, well, I miss him around here. Sharon, you know we go to dinner every Monday, right? Like we have for a long time. Remember way back last fall when my car needed new tires, and you were gone? Well, he took me, helped me pick out tires, and then he paid for them. He told me not to tell you, but he said that's what family did. We ate dinner while they did my tires, and I guess it just stuck. We've gone out every Monday since. You were always gone, and well, since you showed up pregnant, I didn't want to bring it up."

Sharon caught her breath, and she schooled herself, "Rusty, I'm so very glad you have a good relationship with Andy. Please keep that up, even if I messed up everything. You're welcome to move on campus, but do it for yourself, not for me. If you want to stay, I'll put the babies in with me. That would work for awhile. We can figure it out. Now, if you excuse me, I'm not feeling well and am going to lie down," she patted Rusty as she walked toward her room.

Sharon just shook her head as she rested on her bed. She'd destroyed her family-her entire family, and here she was starting a new one by herself. What a mess. She rubbed her hands on both sides of her stomach, as the babies kicked. The innocent babies-entering a world as part of a huge mess.

Sharon was awakened hours later by her phone. She flew out of bed, delighted to see it was Andy calling. Andy. He hadn't called her in months. She very quickly realized jumping out of bed wasn't a good idea. She woke the babies, and soon, they were kicking her to no end.

"Andy?" she asked as she answered the phone.

"Sharon, just updating you on the case. Provenza told me it was my job now, said he used to have to do all the big calls to Taylor, so I'm the guy now," Andy said very businesslike. Anyone wouldn't have even thought they were friends, except for his calling her Sharon.

They talked through the case, finishing, and she hung up. She secretly suspected Provenza having Andy call her wasn't such a coincidence.

As the weeks dragged on, Sharon got bigger and bigger, as well as more uncomfortable by the day. Emily had promised to visit, only to have to cancel at the last minute. Her understudy got sick and couldn't take over for Emily, so she was stuck. Ricky had been mysteriously quiet, coming up with reason after reason to not visit. She'd done damage there, she knew. He had gotten attached to Andy too, and her pregnancy was quite the proof of who had ultimately messed up that relationship.

Sharon's' appointments continued to go well, now every two weeks due to her age. Her blood pressure continued to be high, but not terrible. Her doctor was impressed that Sharon was doing so well, and soon it was the beginning of August. For Sharon, the summer had gone by quickly. She had work to consume her, which distracted from the thoughts that soon, two humans would be joining her life. Now, she was sure that if something happened, the babies would be small, but could survive. She was at 34 weeks, and the end was in sight. It was once again a Friday night. She'd missed several in a row because Major Crimes had a busy schedule. They'd really been working hard, only the day before finishing up a case that had gone on over two weeks. Andy was being professional at work, but he was at least civil. She remembered back to a few days ago when she'd stopped in the Murder Room to check on their progress. She'd offered a suggestion, to which left everyone silent as they processed it.

After a few moments, Andy, who had his finger over his mouth, thinking spoke up, "Sharon's right," he nodded, "we need to check out this witness. He could be the guy."

That comment had been the turning point in the case, and Sharon thought about how it seemed to have been the turning point with Andy, well, as far as she was concerned. She knew he still loved her, even if he'd barely uttered five words at her over the last couple of months. He still called her Sharon at work, something he wouldn't do if he didn't care. He could be professional, and the others had shifted to "Chief' easily. She even eavesdropped as she was leaving because apparently, others had noticed it too.

"So, she's still Sharon to you, Lieutenant?" Julio had asked, his interest peaked.

Sharon watched from the corner of the room where others couldn't see her.

He shrugged, "That's her name."

"Yeah, but her name at work is Chief. We all call her that. You still call her Sharon," he added.

All eyes were on Andy, and he shrugged, "She didn't seem to mind. Seems as if the CHIEF" he said for emphasis,"had a problem with me calling her Sharon, she'd say so."

"Oh, she'd have a problem if any of us did it," Julio smirked, and as Andy glanced around at everyone, he rolled his eyes, "Guys, we barely speak," Andy said. "Her little breakup-yeah, you can all see the growing problem there. The constant reminder is just what I need, staring right in my face every day. It's bad enough I have to work with her. Then, she just goes and shows up at my place every Friday night."

"Didn't Friday night used to be your date night?" Amy asked. The others nodded, knowing that was true.

"It did. We're not dating. Not my babies, so why she keeps coming over, is beyond me. She made her choice the moment she took another man to bed," he gruffed.

"If you don't love her Sir, then why do you let her in? You could always lock your door, not be home. Sir, sounds like she wants you back, and you're too stubborn to admit that's what you want too."

Sharon quietly walked out, almost crying again. Oh, they were so right. She wanted him back; she wanted him to put his big arms around her and tell her it was going to be okay. Problem was he wasn't doing that at all.

So, now that it was Friday night again, after overhearing the conversation earlier in the week, Sharon was determined to hang out with Andy again. The team was right; if he didn't want her around, he should lock the house or not be home. Sharon decided to take dinner; if he'd made dinner, well, then she'd be bringing him some for the weekend. He'd had a long couple of weeks, and she knew he could use a home cooked meal. Besides, she was craving this chicken dish she liked. Ironically, Andy the Vegetarian, loved it too, and he'd started eating it since his health issues. He didn't eat much meat, but he loved this stuff. Sharon got home early that afternoon, as she'd been cutting back her hours before the babies were born, and she prepared the meal. Her cravings were driving her nuts; she wanted to eat it now, but she refrained. She drove to Andy's arriving there right again at 6:30. He was home; his lights were on.

She walked in, noting all the notes were still there, untouched. She sighed, but she added the many she'd been collecting. Andy was on the couch this time, and he barely looked up when she entered. She moved across the room with the dinner in her hand, and she smiled, knowing he'd be able to smell one of his favorite meals.

She put the dish down in the kitchen and started to make up two plates. She didn't see any other food out. Maybe Andy had already eaten? She didn't know, and she wanted to respect his wishes to not talk, so she just made up two plates. As she got drinks out of the refrigerator, she noticed her favorite yogurt was inside, alongside the cannoli she loved from the bakery near Andy's house. The yogurt had started to show up at work. After her first day, back, when she had made a mental note to bring in tea and yogurt, she was surprised to find both there the next day. Well, it wasn't a surprise, but he would never want the thanks. So, she'd just written about it in her letter.

Now, she noted the food, and she smiled. Andy, she shook her head. He cared even if he couldn't admit it, and she hoped she was slowly wearing him down so he'd at least speak to her someday. She missed her friend. She carried the food out, setting it down in front of him. He glanced down and back at the game, arms still crossed. He didn't say anything. Sharon settled in his favorite recliner since he was on the couch. Oh, that chair! It smelled so much like him, and she missed it. By now, Sharon was in the very uncomfortable stage, and she could barely reach in front of herself. She balanced the plate on her stomach, and she swore she saw Andy crack a smile at the sight. After only a few bites, Sharon found she had to go to the bathroom, again. It was now around two to three times an hour, so she waddled, yes, because she could barely move, back to the bathroom. When she returned, she saw the ring, still sitting there on the counter. She shook her head and reclaimed her seat, happy to see that after she left, Andy started eating the dinner she'd put out. What surprised her even more was that dessert had been set out too. She didn't comment. They watched the game until it ended, and Sharon then got up to leave. It was when she went to get her plate to clean up, she noticed it had already been done. She shot a glance to Andy, who continued to stare at the tv. He must have done it on one of her 20 trips to the bathroom. So, as Sharon left this evening, she said, "Good night, Andy. I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to do some shopping tomorrow. I've been in denial about these babies needing anything, and as much as I wish things were different, they will be here soon. I'm going to the baby store by the Palms tomorrow afternoon around 2. I'm just really sorry all this is happening. I don't want to wish away innocent children, but I can't say I'm excited either. Good night, Andy," and with that she left.

Sharon was the opposite of excited about being at the baby store. Oh, she didn't want to be here; she didn't want to be ready to deliver two babies. She didn't want to be doing it herself. Sadly, she didn't have a choice. She hadn't told the kids what she was doing; they were still frustrated with her, and Emily had been only checking in on her health. She knew Rusty was updating Ricky, even if Ricky didn't want to talk to her. Rusty was always out with Gus, and he had told her a week prior that he was definitely moving on campus. That was now a week away, and he and Gus were getting things for his room. So, while her adult child was getting things for his college place, she was shopping for her two youngest children-oh, that was not about to happen, was it?

"Are you interested in a baby registry so your friends can shop for gifts?" the young, perky girl asked Sharon as soon as she entered.

Sharon smiled politely, "No, I'm fine, thank you."

"If you change your mind, let me know. It helps all your friends with what you need," the girl added.

Sharon just smiled, rubbing her side where one of her two children was causing her some serious pain. Oh, if she only still had friends, but she was in this alone.

Sharon spent the next hour overwhelming herself with baby stuff. To get her even remotely interested, she started in the books. Yes, she knew that wouldn't clothe a baby, feed a baby, or house a baby, but it was something that made her happy. She fondly remembered reading to Ricky and Emily, and as she started going through the books, she started a pile in her cart. Seems as if she'd gotten rid of all baby items, because what 50-year-old is going to have a baby?

After the first hour, Sharon took a small break to use the bathroom. She'd tackled books and diapers, not very productive for the amount of stuff she was going to need. She glanced around the store, noting the happy families, and she continued to rub her stomach, trying to convince herself she was happy for two new children. Sharon moved to the small gadgets, bottles, pacifiers, and such, and that area wasn't too bad. She knew she would need bibs and the like and quickly, she had made two piles, split down the middle-a girl side and a boy side. Neutral things like diapers would go under the cart. She just hoped the person bagging the stuff could keep it separated. She still wasn't smiling; she just wasn't excited.

After that area, Sharon decided to try to perk herself up, so she went to the clothing. Oh, she used to love shopping for baby clothing. It seemed a bit overwhelming now with the need to shop for both girl and boy stuff. She started in the girl clothing because pink and purple could certainly perk her up. It did help a little, and soon, she was putting several sleepers and basic outfits in her cart. She moved to the boy section, and she stood there, trying to decide between the different prints. Suddenly, two strong hands pulled the choices from her hands. She was almost ready to give the person a piece of her mind, when she spun around to see that Andy was behind her. He put one of the outfits back, the one with dinosaurs, and he put the one with baseballs in the cart. He didn't say anything, but instead walked away, leaving Sharon there speechless. She didn't know whether to follow him or not, so she continued to look at the boy section. Andy walked by a couple minutes later, dropping a lilac one piece romper in the cart and a sleeper that said, "Beautiful like Mommy." Sharon let out a sob, after Andy had walked away again, and she left the cart to head to the bathroom again. She was in the bathroom over 10 minutes, crying-she couldn't stop, and she could not let Andy see her this way, before she collected herself and walked out to find Andy and the stuff. Andy had done a lot in the 10 minutes she was in the bathroom. She found her cart right there, outside of the bathrooms, loaded down. He'd added more clothing, several things with baseballs and things with comments about looking like "Mommy," and she noted that he'd been very particular not to add anything related to "Daddy." That broke her heart and almost made her cry again right there. He'd also added bedding, at least his preferences. She was touched that he'd added-a purple ballerina bunny bedding set and a blue and green set with alligators playing baseball. Looking around, Andy was nowhere to be seen. He'd dropped in and back out like a breeze passing by, but the sentiment meant more than she could express.


	6. Chapter 6

Sharon returned home with a carload of baby items. Sadly, it didn't get her excited; she had spent most of the drive home crying, Andy. Sweet Andy. Just when she didn't think she had a tear left, he had her crying again. She was so exhausted from the shopping and the crying. She carried up the bedding and left the rest for later. She had time; all of it would make its way into the condo eventually. She flopped down on the couch and stared at the bedding, trying to get excited. She couldn't, but oh, the bedding was sweet. Baseball playing alligators and dancing ballerina bunnies; she couldn't have Andy, but she could have something he'd picked out for her babies.

Sharon's workweek was set to be her last; she was now 35 weeks and miserable, but she was going to leave by lunch each day. She had met with Fritz, and he was going to cover for her while she was on maternity leave. She and already spoken to the insurance department, so they were ready for her to have the babies and add them onto her plan. She had already secured two spots in the daycare, so for now, she was as prepared as she could be. Good or bad, Sharon had already raised two children on her own, so it was something that she could do again. She'd been halving contractions for awhile, but her doctor had said nothing was happening yet. She was scheduled for a C-section at the end of next week; her doctor worried about her age, health, and the twin factor, so she was going in for that.

This week was going to be busy; she was finishing her last week of work, and Rusty was moving into his dorm room at the end of the week. It was mid-August, and her twins would have August birthdays. Oh, it seemed like eons ago she had discovered she was pregnant, and she wished she could go back in time, back to last December and change everything. She couldn't. Two tiny humans were arriving next week that were proof she couldn't hide what she'd done.

Friday was exhausting all around. Her assistants threw her a small party. It was sweet, and they got her a huge basket filled with an infant bathtub, pink and blue towels, along with tons of bath wash and other themed essentials. It was very sweet. Major Crimes wished her well, most did. Ironically, when she stopped by, at the request of the team, Andy was out on a call. Provenza said he had to check on a witness; although, they were not involved in an active case. She'd hurt Major Crimes, all of them, by hurting Andy, and she decided she should be grateful they were at least still speaking to her because Andy certainly wasn't.

When Sharon left work that final Friday, it really hit her that she wasn't going to be returning to work for awhile. What hit her even harder was that when she did come back, it would be with two infants, in two car seats she'd be lugging to daycare, all at 50. She shuddered at the thought, and she started to panic. Car seats. How had she forgotten? She was an officer of the law, and she'd forgotten car seats. She was even more than that-she was the Assistant Chief of Police for one of the largest police departments in the country: she had overseen security for the NFL, yet here at 50-another idiotic idea, she was pregnant and forgotten car sears for her children. What an idiot-yes, she realized she was starting to sound like Provenza. First thing in the morning, she was going for car seats. As she took the elevator to her car, she realized after her baby store outing where Andy had rattled her, she still needed quite a bit of gear. She hadn't bought cribs, bouncy seats, swings, a stroller-oh a stroller! Good grief, she was a mess! She was delivering twins in a week, and she didn't have a way to get them home, nor did she have anything for them at home. The infant bathtub was her only gear. The few clothes, books, diapers, and random odds and ends she did have weren't going to get her very far. Tomorrow was already shaping up to be a long day. Today, she had to get through Rusty moving into his dorm. That was on the schedule for the afternoon. Maybe that was part of it…maybe she was distracted with Rusty leaving she didn't realize what she still needed? No, deep inside, she knew it was due to thoughts of Andy. None of this was what she had wanted, and she still, deep down was in denial it was happening. That needed to end. She, at 50, needed to grow up and realize she had to get ready for these babies now. First, Rusty was moving out.

"Sharon, don't start crying," Rusty told her as he stood in his dorm room amid all the boxes. Sharon chuckled looking around. It was a nice room, and he was so happy-finally, he was on his own because he wanted to be. Gus was nearby, unpacking one of the boxes.

"I can't help it," she smiled, "My youngest moves out, and I'm this pregnant. What do you expect?"

"Well, you are quite the sight there, Sharon. I mean, you're kind of cramping my style-my mom, sorry, but my older mom is following me around here pregnant with twins. It's a bit odd," he smiled, trying to lighten her mood.

Sharon nodded and chuckled. For the first time in a long time, she actually smiled, "Rusty, I'm so proud of you."

"I know, Mom. I know. Thank you. I wouldn't be here without you," he said as he tried to hug her.

"Come here, Gus," Sharon cried a few happy tears. "I'm proud of both of you. Rusty, I think this will be a good year for you-just enough on your own. You can always come back home, and you can always go see Gus."

"Yeah, except my room is about to get flipped," he gave her a big smile, "I mean, come on Sharon, I move out, and next week, you're moving two new people in with way different taste than I have. Who does that?"

Sharon smiled at him; Rusty was doing better with things. He wasn't doing well, but he was doing better. He hadn't mentioned Andy in awhile, but Sharon knew the two were still having dinner each week. She'd written about it in several letters, thanking Andy for watching out for Rusty-their son, as she called him in her letters, because he'd been a good father to Rusty when Rusty needed one. Sharon had told Andy in the letters it was ironic Rusty had the best dad of all her kids when he had come to her homeless and without a family. She'd said that she'd made the best choice of a dad for Rusty, when she'd made such poor choices for her other four children, something she would never forget. Sharon knew Andy hadn't read any of her letters, but she knew she felt better for at least putting her thoughts to paper.

"Sharon, you need to get going," Rusty patted her arm. "I don't want you getting stuck in Friday afternoon traffic-well, you already will be, but still."

"Rusty, you are exactly 30 miles from home. It won't be that bad for me. Besides, I'm pregnant, not incapable of driving. I'm the Assistant Police Chief-I can drive home," she gave him an almost glare.

Rusty threw his arms up in defense, "Hey, just trying to watch out for you, Mom," he smiled. "I mean, you are all alone now-what is it? Empty nest, well, for a week," he smirked.

Sharon rolled her eyes, "I'm not sure how I'll manage," she added, "What did I do without you? Oh, that's right, I was alone then too, but thank you, Rusty."

Rusty hugged her again, "You know I love you, right? I can never repay you for everything, and it's not that big of deal, here, right? Gus and I will come by for dinner on Sunday, okay?"

Sharon nodded, holding back the tears. For once, she could do that. Her baby was growing up, "Yes, and then, I'll see you both next Friday."

Rusty nodded, "We'll be there. We can't have you driving yourself to the hospital to have twins. That sounds awful. We'll be there, and we'll bring you and the twins home too. Be careful, Mom."

Sharon hugged him again and squeezed Gus' hand, "Be safe and-"

"Be kind," the both repeated to her, and she left, knowing her efforts with Rusty had been all worth it.

Instead of driving home, Sharon stopped and picked up dinner. Actually, she was hungry all the time, and she might have had some food while she was waiting for her take-out order. She got Italian from Andy's favorite place. Oh, who was she kidding-it was her favorite place too-their favorite place. It was, after all, Friday night again, so while she'd had such a long day with her last day at work, moving Rusty into his dorm, well, the place she really wanted to be was in her own bed. She was completely exhausted. The babies were putting a tremendous strain on her, but she wasn't about to miss Friday night with Andy, even if it meant hours sitting in silence.

She arrived at Andy's place before he did. It was just after 6:00, so she was early. She hoped he was coming home soon, but she wasn't going to just sit in her car and wait. She still had her key, and he hadn't asked for it back. She'd used it since she'd been back-to drop off food after he killed the suspect in the courthouse, and she was so weary and tired of sitting in her car, she let herself in again. Sharon put the food in the kitchen, noting how delicious it smelled. She silently patted herself on the back for eating something already. Oh, she'd still be able to put away a healthy amount of food when Andy got home, but the twins were really demanding already, especially in the food department. Sharon spotted the ring still sitting there, next to his pile of mail, still wide open box, the diamond staring back at her. Without Andy there, she looked at it. It was really the first time she'd examined it up close. Andy had offered it to her almost a year ago now on a beautiful sunset beach, but she'd refused. Looking at it, she saw just how "Sharon" it was. Simple, elegant, classy. It was a large solitaire, well over a carat, she was sure. Oh, how she'd been so stupid. She put the ring back and decided to get comfortable, if there ever was such a thing at 35, almost 36 weeks pregnant with twins. Looking at her options, Sharon decided on Andy's recliner, mainly because she could smell his aftershave on it. She curled up in the chair and sighed. Sharon turned on the tv, switching to the baseball game. Andy was a creature of habit, and she'd at least have things ready for him.

The next thing Sharon knew, she felt a persistent kicking, urging her to use the bathroom. Oh, the twins. She suddenly realized she'd dozed off; she was asleep, and as she woke her eyes, she noticed the game was on, but she now had a blanket covering her. Comfort and warmth, probably why she could sleep so well. What time was it? She opened her eyes to see Andy sitting on the couch eating his dinner. He didn't say anything; he just sat and ate, but she was sure he'd noticed she had come out of her slumber. She stood up, with a bit of pain. The stupid contractions had been going on far too long; she was going to be so glad to get the "tiny aliens" as Rusty called them out next week. They'd invaded her body long enough. She stretched, rubbing her side, the pain must have been evident on her face. She could see Andy glance at her from her peripheral vision. She turned to waddle to the bathroom and said, "Thank you for the blanket, Andy." He didn't respond, but she'd decided that she was going to talk to him tonight, whether he said anything back. The babies were being delivered next Friday, so she knew she wouldn't see him that evening or for awhile, quite frankly. Her letters this week had explained that she'd be out for eight weeks, and that she hoped if he needed anything over the next eight weeks, he'd call her.

Sharon finished in the bathroom and realized just how hungry she now was. It was now 8:30. She didn't know when Andy had gotten home, but she'd slept for over two hours. It felt good, and she knew she needed it. It had been a long day, a long few weeks. She hadn't been sleeping well at all. She made up her plate, noting that Andy had eaten the food she brought. That made her smile at least.

Her dinner was good, oh it was good, and she was so hungry. The food helped her energy a bit too; she was really starting to feel her age with this pregnancy. She knew she couldn't stay as late tonight as she had. She was exhausted, and she still had to go out shopping the next day for all the gear. Maybe she'd do some research on her computer before she tackled the store. Everything was overwhelming, so many more choices than when she had Emily and Ricky, so maybe she'd pick out what she wanted first and then go get it. So many ideas in her head now, but first things first, she needed to clean up her plate because she could feel the exhaustion setting in again.

She stood to grab her plate and Andy's to take them to the kitchen, and she decided to tell Andy what she wanted him to know before she left for the night. She was standing in front of him, well, she moved so that she was right in front of him, which wasn't hard for her size. He still wouldn't look up at her.

"Andy, before I go, I need to tell you this tonight. I've said two things in every single letter I've written you, and you need to know them-I'm sorry and I love you more than any words I write can express. Andy, I don't expect us to get back together. I know that won't happen, but you need to know that I deeply regret everything since the moment on the beach when I said no. I've ruined my life, your life, and I've disappointed all our kids, yours and mine. I've compounded the problem by adding two more children. Andy, I'm not even happy or excited about these babies. I know I will love them; I know I will be glad someday, but this has been the most depressing, the most awful pregnancy, and none of it has even been because of health. Ironically, I've been very healthy, which is insane for a 50-year-old woman! None of this should have happened, down to my carrying not just one, but two babies. I'll love them with everything I have because they are my children, but I haven't enjoyed any of this-wanted any of this-because it hasn't been with you. What I would give for these to be your babies. I feel them move, kick, and I just wish it was so different," she had blurted all that out without really catching her breath. Andy still wasn't looking at her; he was looking at the floor with his arms resting by his side. "Andy," she said again, reaching down and pulling on both of his hands, which surprised him, and for the first time, he looked toward her-not at her, but toward her. "Andy," she said again, as she gripped his hands, the first time she'd done so in almost a year. She put his hands on both sides of her stomach, where for the first time, he could feel the babies. Remarkably, he didn't yank them back, "Andy, I just want you to know that I wish this feeling was yours. I wish they were yours. They aren't. I know that," she let out a slight gasp as one of the twins gave a sharp kick right where Andy's hand was. "Andy, these babies will be here next week. I won't see you for awhile, but I'll be back at work in eight weeks. I hope someday we can at least be civil. I miss that so much. I miss my best friend. I know you can't stand the sight of me, and the image of these babies will be unbearable, but I needed you to feel them for once, to know that I'd do anything if I could change all this. But, I can't change things, and as much as it hurts you, I will have them around. They'll be at the station, and Andy, I will love them with all my heart because they ae mine." Sharon let go of his hands, and he instantly pulled them back. He continued to look down at the floor. Sharon sighed and picked up both plates to clean up before she left.

As she walked to the door, Andy said the first thing to her he had in a very long time, "I almost did the same thing," he said quietly, his eyes meeting hers for the first time. She stopped, looked at him, wondering what he was saying.

He repeated himself, "I almost did the same thing. I almost slept with someone to get back at you. Oh, I was so angry-still am so angry," he spit out. He was going to make sure she heard this too, "After I saw you with him, his hands all over you, you dressed like that-Sharon that was a way you'd never dressed in front of me, you'd never let me touch you like that-I see you with him there, so carefree. It was the longest flight of my life. I can't believe I didn't get drunk then. I should have. No, I held off for awhile, telling myself drinking wasn't worth it, but I finally caved. My 20+ years of sobriety down the drain. I'm disgusted with myself for that, for letting that image of you with a dirt bag hanging all over you-that did me in. Yes, I made the choice, but you in that red thing-I just can't shake the image," he nodded. Sharon was now standing there, tears in her eyes. She knew the image, and she couldn't shake it either. It was why she no longer had a single red garment in her closet. "So, I started drinking at Christmas," he shook his head. "Rusty tried to get me to meet him for a meal, but nope, I sat here and started drinking. I drank and drank and drank. Provenza tried. Nope, I drank. One night, in January, I ended up in a bar. I drank and drank and drank there that night. This girl, probably only Rusty's age or so, kept hitting on me. She was young, blonde, and totally the type of young thing the Andy of years ago, would have wanted. She tried, but I held off. For the last six plus years, it's only been you, Sharon. The idea of doing anything with her-it disgusted me, and that's what I can't understand with you. Am I so horrible? All I could think about was you when she was falling all over me. I was drunk, she was all over me, and I still wanted you. I pushed her off me, called Provenza, and he brought me home. That was the end of January. I had different girls hit on me like that two more times before I realized I had to stop drinking again for myself. I never gave in, and that's what I don't understand. I got sober the day before Provenza saw you in Phoenix, and let me tell you, I thought about going right back to the bottle when he got back and told me he'd gone to see you. Why? Because of course, he was honest with me, told me he saw you and suspected you were pregnant. Actually, he told me you suspected it, but he said, "That idiot woman is delusional if she's still thinking she's pregnant. That baby is growing in front of her eyes," so yeah, I thought about drinking again. I didn't, but it's been a day by day process. I'm so angry with you that I can't even talk; if I start, I'm sure I won't stop spewing anger. Yeah, I've messed up too, but I'd never messed up with you-not until this absolute mess spiraled out of control. I just thought things were different."

Sharon stood there, letting him talk, letting him get it all out, crying. Everything he said, she understood.

"Sharon, I can work with you, but right now, I can't be what you want. Those aren't my babies; that's been a visual example of just how messed up things have gone for both of us. I can't be the Andy you want, the one who is so madly in love with you, the one who would do anything. I can't be that. I've been trying to get past my anger, get past the hatred, and that's a work in progress. I know you have no one, but you've done that to yourself. I remember that feeling well, and it's a terrible one. I had that same feeling after I hit rock bottom with my drinking years ago. I was alone for a long time. This time, when I started drinking again, but I had a friend who picked me up. I want to be your friend now, Sharon, but I'm still having trouble with that; I'm not just sitting here trying to punish you. I'm trying to work past my own issues right now, issues I have with you and with myself. I can't look at you and not resent you or those babies. I know they are innocent, but I can't stop but wishing I'd been the one to do that to you, that they were mine, but the plain and simple fact is they aren't. I can't love you; I can't love them, but in time, I am hoping to be your friend."

With that, Andy sighed, stood, and walked down the hall. Sharon heard his bathroom door close, so she dried off her tears and cleaned up the plates. She collected her things, and she left.

Hours later, after she'd tried to sleep and couldn't, she started looking up baby things on her computer. It was well after 2:00 AM, but she was going to at least be productive even if she couldn't sleep. She heard her phone text go off, and assuming she was being updated on the progress of a case. It wasn't that type of progress, but still progress. The text read, "Be ready downstairs at 10. Rusty said you needed some big items, and you don't need to hurt yourself trying to carry them around the store."


	7. Chapter 7

Sharon was ready and waiting at 10:00. Truth be told, she was ready and waiting at 9:00, but she'd rested on her couch until 9:45 when she walked, well, waddled downstairs to wait for Andy. She couldn't believe he was helping her with this today. It meant so much, yet his words from last night-that he still couldn't be friends with her, still couldn't work through everything-she understood. She was very grateful for the help. The notion of doing it alone did exhaust her, and whether she wanted to or not, she needed the stuff and needed it now.

Sharon waited, holding the two travel mugs of coffee, her mug and Andy's. Yes, it was his, or it had become his. Over the last few years, they had a "His" and "Hers" mug, where each one knew whose mug was whose. She'd had to dust off his mug, but she was determined to offer it to him today as a sort of peace offering.

Sharon had prioritized her list after all her searching. She had three car seats to check out. All had the highest ratings, but people had commented on ease of carrying them, ability to snap them into the car, and a few other things. So, she'd at least narrowed that down. She figured the bouncy and the swing-well, she'd just find one she liked. They were all about the same. She'd looked at some bassinet type baskets for now. She'd deal with cribs later. She still had to disassemble Rusty's room, but with her eight weeks of maternity leave, that would come. She knew she'd be busy, but Sharon never did well just being home. So, she had thought it through and decided she would take Rusty's room down and redo things once the twins were home. It would keep her mind off her disaster of a life. The color was nice and neutral, so she wouldn't need to repaint, but she could decorate each side of the room for each baby. It would work. That left the stroller, and she was resigned to the few choices for a double stroller. She actually planned to get possibly two different strollers. She was going to need a bigger one now that the car seats could snap into, and she'd decided that she'd also like a smaller, compact, umbrella style. Now, she'd just have to see what the store had. With her list in hand, she waited.

Andy pulled up promptly at 10. He was always good at being on time, and of course, after the last several years, he knew down to the minute how long it took to get to Sharon's house, especially on a Saturday morning when work traffic wasn't as much of an issue. Sharon opened the door and fell into the car because of course, she had no grace at this point. Once she was settled, she put the coffee mugs in the console, turned, and simply said, "Thank you for this, Andy."

Andy didn't say anything, but after he pulled in traffic and headed toward the baby store, he did start sipping on the coffee she'd brought. She noted that she didn't have to tell him where to go; he'd found it once already. Sharon tried to make light conversation just so Andy knew what she needed to do.

"I did a lot of research last night. I haven't been sleeping. Anyway, I narrowed down the search for car seats. That's my biggest need right now because I can't even leave the hospital without those," she let out a small, nervous laugh. Hopefully, they have at least a couple of the ones I narrowed down in my search. After that, I am going to just get these bassinet basket things I hope they have. That will work for now until I get Rusty's room changed out, and then I can buy two cribs. It will all fit. I'll just need a swing and a bouncy seat, so I'll make this as quick as possible. I can order anything else later. Right now, that should do the trick. I really appreciate the help; I know it's your day off, so I won't keep you all day."

Nothing else was said, and Sharon just put her head back on the seat and closed her eyes. She really felt terrible, and she was glad her doctor was having her come in on Friday. She had an appointment on Tuesday to check on the babies and go over everything. Sharon sat in the silence, eyes closed, and just rubbed small circles on her stomach. Andy didn't say anything.

Once they arrived at the store, Sharon made sure to get out of her seat as quickly as possible. She remembered the days Andy had always opened her door, and the last thing she wanted was to make things awkward, so she didn't even act like it was a thought. Once inside, Andy grabbed a cart and walked alongside her as they headed toward the car seat section. Luckily, the store had a tech there that day-a popular place to be on a Saturday, so Sharon could speak with him and have her questions answered. She picked out the one she wanted, and luckily, they had two in stock. Andy stood back, letting her talk and ask her questions. He didn't say anything; he just did as he had told her-he was along for the heavy lifting. The tech wished her good luck as she finished.

"Oh, if you want, we can help you and your husband install those seats in your car?" he offered, not knowing the mess he'd just opened.

Andy froze; he'd started pushing the cart away, and Sharon just turned to him, "No, that won't be necessary. Thank you."

After that awkward encounter, Sharon picked out a swing and a bouncy seat. She debated on getting two, talking to herself out loud, but making sure she wasn't asking Andy for his opinion. Truth be told, she really wanted his opinion, but as they had both painfully pointed out, these weren't his babies.

"One seat or two? I'm not sure if they will both want to swing at the same time, or if it might be easier to have them both in bouncy seats. Oh, I don't know! Twins! They're going to outnumber me immediately. I guess for now, I'll get one of each, and I can always get a second. They are already going to take over the condo, so the least amount of clutter the better," she shook her head. Andy loaded the swing and the bouncy she picked out and followed her to the bassinet area. Before she got there, she stopped at the bathroom, "I'll be right back. I can't go more than a few minutes anymore without needing a bathroom. There are rocking chairs over there," she pointed, if you want to wait. It takes me a little longer. I'm not as coordinated."

When Sharon returned, she didn't find Andy in the rocking chairs, so she started looking for him. He was in the bassinet area, and he was reading the description on one of the displays. She walked over, noticing the one he was looking at was bigger than the baskets she'd thought about getting. He saw her as she walked up; she couldn't sneak up on anyone even if she wanted. Andy looked at her, and for the first time that day, he spoke, "This one," he nodded at the display. He picked up two and put them in their overflowing cart. She raised her eyebrows, looking at what he'd found and then diverted her eyes over to what she'd envisioned. He followed her gaze, "This one is bigger, yes, but safer. It's off the ground; they don't need to be in a basket on the floor like a pile of laundry, and that basket doesn't need to be on your bed. This one also folds up for storage or travel," he informed her.

Sharon nodded, in confirmation and said, "Thank you."

The stroller section proved to be the biggest headache. They only had three choices for a double stroller. Luckily, they had both styles Sharon wanted, but they didn't have the umbrella stroller in stock. The bigger one, the one she needed now, they only had in red. Red, the color she'd come to hate.

"I'll just order something online," she shook her head when the sales associate told her it was only in store in red. "It's available in navy online; I'll just get that," she commented without needing to explain to Andy why the red was unacceptable to her. Besides, I can get them home now, and we won't be walking yet. I'm sure the stroller will get here even before I'm home with them."

Andy remained silent throughout, just watching. The salesperson had even tried to get him to push the strollers, in an effort to demonstrate their ease of use, but Sharon quickly jumped in, explaining he was her friend there helping her with the boxes.

Sharon, now with her list done, looked around at the store. Andy followed her gaze, and he sighed, "Sharon, go, walk around, get anything else you need. Last chance before they are here. I'll go sit in those chairs, and you can get me when you're done. We've been here an hour, so another few minutes isn't going to ruin my day."

She just nodded, a silent thanks, and started walking around the store. She knew Andy was about at the limit for his interaction with her today, and she didn't want to push it. He needed his space.

Sharon located several other small items, and after she looked at the selection of diaper bags, she vowed to get online and order one. Sharon was fine with most things, but she wanted a high-class diaper bag. If it had to function as her purse for awhile, she wanted a nice one. She briefly looked at highchairs, knowing she didn't need them yet, but she soon would. She still wasn't excited, but she was at least feeling better, feeling more prepared for the twins. After she finished, she went in search of Andy. He wasn't sitting, but somehow, she suspected he wouldn't. Dads were siting; they were talking to each other, happy, and laughing. No, he wouldn't be there. She suspected he was just walking and thinking. That's what she found him doing-in the diaper aisle of all places. He was just wandering, and when she caught up to him, she told him she was done.

"Thank you again for your help," she said later in the car as they were driving back to her condo. He just grunted, his version of a "thank you" right now. When they arrived at the condo, she was surprised when he didn't pull into the front visitor space. Instead, he drove around to the garage parking area like he always had done.

"Andy?" she asked.

He waved her off, "You've got to put those seats in, right?" he asked. "Look, I know you don't need help and all, but there's no way you are going to be able to maneuver enough right now to get those seats in and tighten them down."

Sharon just nodded; he was right, so he pulled into her parking area, Rusty's space now vacant, and he turned off the car.

"I'll get it. Why don't you take up the bags?" he offered.

Sharon just nodded. She didn't need to ask him if he needed help or knew what to do. He'd put these in before, and he'd also, while he didn't want to admit it, watched the tech demonstrate at the store. Sharon knew it too, so she left it alone. She started for the elevators, carrying a couple of the bags. With her waddle and inability to move quickly, Andy finished before she did, and soon, he was at her door. She had just opened it to go back downstairs to get more of the stuff, when she saw him coming off the elevator with a huge load. He'd borrowed a luggage type cart from the lobby area, and he had everything else on it. Sharon desperately wanted to ask him to stay for coffee once he'd put all the boxes in Rusty's old room, but she held her tongue. Instead, she just said, "Thank you again, Andy."

"The seats are in, but they take up almost all of your backseat. They're in, tight, and you won't have a problem. They will keep them safe," he told her. Instead of saying anything further, Andy just gave her a salute, and he left with the cart. She stood in the doorway until the elevator door closed, leaving her alone once again.


	8. Chapter 8

Now she knew why she'd felt so badly the past couple of days. Well, truth be told, she always knew why-she was growing tiny humans, but more recently, she'd figured out why she felt so badly right now. She was in labor.

Crud. It wasn't Friday; no, that was days' away still. It was the middle of the night on Sunday, well, now probably Monday morning, and she was definitely in labor. She'd completely collapsed on the couch after her shopping trip with Andy on Saturday, only later in the evening to make herself eat something. She wasn't feeling well. She ended pacing the hall most of the night Saturday night, the babies intent on kicking their way out, she had decided. Not even born, and they were already plotting against her, plotting against dear OLD mom, getting her ready for years of no sleep. Sunday hadn't been much better, so frustrating to her in fact, she'd cancelled dinner with Rusty and Gus. They were worried about here and wanted to still come over, but she'd kept them away.

"Rusty, honestly, don't worry about it. I'm just exhausted. I'm not sleeping well, and food doesn't even sound good. I think I'll just try to relax and get some sleep. I'm perfectly fine; you and Gus go and enjoy your evening. I'll talk to you tomorrow," she had told him.

Except that she hadn't relaxed at all that evening. Around 7:00, she started feeling stronger contractions. She'd been feeling them for days, but oh boy, these ones were the real deal, and they kept coming closer and closer. It wasn't anything terrible, YET, but she knew that was coming. She'd called her doctor by 10:00 that night when she realized she wasn't going to wish her way out of this one. She'd tried that-Denial- early in her pregnancy, the failed result now in her lack of sightline to her shoes, staring back at her, causing her serious pain. Her doctor had said to go ahead and get to the hospital. They'd still do the C-section, but they'd now have to of course, move it up. These babies weren't waiting until Friday. They wanted to be born today-what was today? What was going to be her babies' birthday? August 25. Great. The 25th, the cursed number 25, the same number that gave December a bad name for her, for Andy, both for different reasons. Sharon paced her condo, rubbing her sides, breathing, and finally she knew it was time to go.

There was no way she was going to call Rusty. His classes started that morning, and besides, there was nothing for him to do but sit and wait. No, she'd call him after the babies were born. Yes, he'd get mad, but she only had his best interest at heart. She wanted him to have a good first day of his senior year of college. The babies had already disrupted his life enough, they would continue to do so in the future, so she had decided she'd spare him this one thing. He could barely handle the sight of Sharon kissing Andy, back when Sharon was kissing Andy. The idea that he'd even want to be close to her in labor brought her to a slight chuckle.

Her chuckle was interrupted when she doubled over in pain. Crud. Really close. She needed to go. Well, she'd drive herself. She could do that. Rusty and Gus could take care of the car situation when she left, knowing she wouldn't be driving for days after a C-section. That would work. She'd finally started to pack her bag at 8:00 that night after she realized she wasn't going to stay in fantasy land about everything. So, she grabbed her bag, the few things she had for the babies, and she made her way to her car. Ready or not, here, they were coming.

By 3:00 AM, she was prepped and ready. Her OB had asked if she wanted to call anyone. Of course, she WANTED to call someone, but she'd said no. She'd already talked this part through with her OB, the part she didn't want to consider. Should anything happen to her, Sharon had already discussed with her OB what to. Rusty was there, and he could take immediate emergency custody of the babies until Emily got there. She'd left them in Emily's care, even though she hadn't discussed it with her. She knew her daughter, and as mad as she was, she wouldn't abandon her newborn brother and sister. Sharon had plenty of money, so if the worst came to pass, the five kids would be okay. That wasn't going to happen, but Sharon had thought it through, just in case.

Sharon didn't remember much after that, the blur of everything, until she was in her room at 9:00 AM. It felt like it had been years already, yet, just 12 hours ago, she'd been pacing her condo, pregnant, and miserable. Now, she was on the other side, in her room, but alone. The babies had done well. They were in the nursery for now, getting evaluated again. The initial screening looked good. Their lungs were doing well, the main concern, and their weight was actually great. Sharon could have told the staff that; she felt like she'd been carrying around two watermelons for weeks.

Now, the hard part, as if delivering twins wasn't hard enough. No, that had been somewhat easy considering they'd cut her open. She didn't remember much, just the loud cries and the, "It's a boy," followed by, "It's a girl." No, that part had been okay. She'd been alone, but she prayed through it, and all had gone well. A 50-year-old had delivered twins, healthy, beautiful twins-a miracle itself. Now, the hard part-she had to call her other three kids who were old enough to talk. She started with Emily, knowing she was going into work soon.

"Mom, are you enjoying your first morning at home? I'm sure you are going into full-time nesting mode. I can't believe you're having twins. While I'm still really mad about everything, I can't wait to see them," she said happily.

"Emily," Sharon said, and with enough serious tone that Emily picked up on it.

"Mom, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Emily, I had the twins overnight," she said softly.

"What?" Emily exclaimed. "Why didn't Rusty call me? You should have told me-"

"Emily!" Sharon stopped her, "Rusty doesn't know yet. His first classes are this morning. I'm going to call him later. I'm calling you first because I knew you had to go to work. I went into labor last night at home. My doctor delivered them overnight. Emily, there' here, and they are perfect, "Sharon smiled, realizing that this was the first true smile she'd had about the babies yet-ever.

"Oh my gosh!" Emily said, "Mom, who is there with you?" she asked, knowing it wasn't Andy, the guy whom she, Ricky, and Rusty still kept up with by text all the time. The one guy her mother deeply loved, Emily knew he wasn't there.

"I'm alone," Emily, "Sharon said, "Look, I'm fine. The babies are here. They are doing well. I'm fine. Listen, I made this disaster on my own; I'm going to raise them on my own. We're fine."

"Mom," Emily said saddened, "we are here for you."

"Emily, it's fine," Sharon said, again, tears welling up.

"Oh my goodness! They are here! Tell me everything. Ahh, which one is older? Names? Mom, you haven't told us their names. Are you okay? Mom, you just had two babies!" she squealed.

Sharon rested her head on her pillow, exhausted and sore, but okay, "They are beautiful, she smiled, tears again in her eyes. "They are in the nursery now. The pediatrician is checking them over again, but both seem to be perfectly healthy, no lung issues-Emily, they really are a miracle," she smiled.

"That's great Mom, but hello-details? I'm glad to hear all that-what a relief, but my goodness, you've kept me waiting long enough!" she told Sharon.

Sharon chuckled, "Yes, you are right. Well, I didn't ask anyone for opinions or anything about the names. I went with what I liked. Thomas Michael Raydor was born at 3:27 this morning weighing in at 4 lbs. 14 oz., and one minute later at 3:28, Faith Amelia Raydor was born weighing in at 5 lbs. 8 oz.," she chuckled, "my heavyweight."

"Oh Mom," Emily said, the emotion evident in her voice. "Congratulations. Thomas and Faith. Are you going to call him Thomas or shorten it? Where'd you get the names? They are nice, but a bit different."

"I plan to call him Thomas. I don't know; it doesn't feel right to shorten it to Tom. Seems formal for a baby, but when he's older maybe. As for the names, they just stuck with me. They are special to me," she said.

"Care to explain?" Emily asked.

"Just special," Sharon said. "Emily, as much as I'd like to keep talking, I'm exhausted and need to call two of my other children. I have five children, Emily. Five," Sharon shook her head.

"Congratulations, Mom. Send me some pictures when you can," Emily said.

"I will, Honey, and I love you," she smiled. "You're still my number one kiddo-literally speaking," she added.

"Yeah, just now, you probably shouldn't say your favorite daughter," she joked.

The conversation went about the same with Ricky. He wasn't as excited, more worried about her being alone in the hospital, but he at least took her call.

"Mom, do you need me there to help?" he asked.

"Ricky, I'm fine. I'll be here a few days-they want to keep an eye on the twins to make sure they are doing okay for being so small, but no, stay there. You can visit when we get home and get settled. I might use you and your brother to help with the crib," she smiled.

Ricky chuckled, "Okay, but you might want to start specifying which brother now, Mom. I don't need Thomas to help with his crib."

Sharon chuckled; it felt good to laugh. It felt good to talk to her kids. Her mess had arrived in fully force, but it was here to stay.

Rusty was her final call. She was dreading it because she knew he'd chew her out and come right over. While she would be glad to see him, she knew he'd freak out.

" What?" Rusty exclaimed after Sharon explained everything to him. "Sharon, you drove yourself to the hospital in labor where you just happened to bring two tiny humans into the world, then call with a 'Hey Rusty-how are you?' chat? Sharon!"

Once Sharon got Rusty to calm down, she told him to take his time and come over after his classes. She had to chuckle; she could tell he was a nervous wreck already because he asked, "Is it okay if I bring Gus?"

"Rusty! Of course! I'd expect nothing less. Be safe, go to class, and I'll see you soon. Don't make me regret paying that tuition bill two weeks ago," she'd reminded him.

After Sharon got off the phone with Rusty, she rested her head and closed her eyes. She'd just dealt with three of her children; she needed a bit of rest before she had to start tackling the newest two.

"Here they are!" the nurse said proudly, as the twins were wheeled into the room, "Good news, Mom. They are both doing great and can stay in the room with you. Anytime you need a break, especially with two, just call us, and we can take them to the nursery for a bit."

Sharon woke up; apparently, she'd drifted off. Her phone said it was now after 11:00. Wow, it hadn't even been 18 hours, and she'd gone from feeling her first serious pains to hearing that the twins were healthy and fine. It was a miracle.

"Now, we've got you on some low dose pain stuff from your C-section, and we'll get you up and moving around later today or tomorrow. That will depend on how you are doing, especially with your age. The doctor wants to keep the babies here until Thursday to make sure nothing develops and they are eating well since they are small. Now, were you planning to nurse them or bottle feed?" she asked.

"Bottle, "Sharon instantly replied, "I'm sorry. I can't handle anything else now. I can deal with that, and I hope that doesn't make me a terrible mother," she sighed.

"Nonsense," the nurse waved, "You delivered two babies to this world. You love them, and you are going to take care of them on your own. It's fine. We'll get bottles going for them. They were given formula earlier when you were still in recovery, but I'll update your chart."

Sharon nodded and looked at the two squirmy babies. She hadn't seen them much yet, and she wished she was more excited. Oh, she was glad they were healthy, and loved them immensely, but she didn't have that pure, utter joy, the kind of joy from sharing this amazing time with a spouse. No, she was alone.

"Now, let's get you situated, and I'll show you the best way to hold twins," the nurse said.

Several hours later, after Sharon had spent some bonding time with the babies, there was a knock at her door. She smiled, glad that Rusty had finally arrived. While she was fine alone, she was glad he'd come.

"Oh!" she said at her surprise to find the team there.

"Sorry to interrupt, Captain. Oh, I mean, sorry to interrupt, Chief, but we wanted to stop by and say congratulations," Amy said from the doorway. As the lone female, the guys had put her up to that task.

"Come in, come in," she waved and smiled. "Oh, it's so good to see all of you," she said as the team filtered in. Except it wasn't all of them. The one person she wanted to see hadn't come, and at her glance toward Provenza, he knew exactly what she was thinking.

The team filed in: Amy, Buzz, Julio, Wes, Mike, and finally Provenza. All of them were very much aware of the glaring absence.

"We brought you some roses, Ma'am," Julio smiled, putting the flowers on the table.

"That was extremely thoughtful. Thank you," Sharon smiled at them.

"Oh, they are beautiful, Chief" Amy sighed as she stood over the babies. Julio looked to Sharon, "May I, ma'am?" he asked indicating to the babies.

"Of course, there's plenty to go around," she chuckled, offering a joke with the team.

"Two more of her," Provenza shook his head while giving her a slight smile, "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she nodded, "I appreciate that after everything."

He nodded back at her, and Julio grinned as he held Faith, "Guys, she's got the Captain's scowl right now," he grinned, and sure enough Faith was scowling.

"So, Rusty said you named them Faith and Thomas?" Mike asked.

Sharon nodded, "Yes, and I should have known he'd call all of you."

"How are you feeling, Captain?" Amy asked.

"I'm fine, Amy. All things considered, it's amazing we're all here and healthy."

The team passed around the babies, noting that Thomas was short, with no hair, while Faith was longer, a bit chubbier, and with auburn hair. They thought Thomas looked like Ricky, while noting Faith looked a lot like Sharon. Truth was Sharon saw way too much of Steve in Thomas, and that turned her stomach a bit. She'd get over it, but the resemblance was there. No one else, other than Andy, had ever seen Steve, so at least that would not come up.

"So, let me get this straight, Captain," Provenza said. Sharon just chuckled. She'd been "Captain to them so long. Old habits were hard to break. "Let me get this straight. Your little girl outweighs her brother? Really? How'd you do that? She's over a half pound bigger. What is it with you and girl power? The youngest in the family, and she outweighs her big brother," he shook his head as the team laughed.

Sharon laughed too, "Thank you, Lieutenant for the laugh. I needed it. It's been a tough day," she admitted, looking a bit sad.

"Listen, we'll get out of your way, but I'm going to take Rusty for burgers this week. He said he was busy tonight, but I'll watch out for him this week," Buzz noted.

"Thank you Buzz. Thanks to all of you," Sharon nodded.

"Oh, Captain," Amy said, "We almost forgot. We got you this," she passed a paper to Sharon. "Now, we heard you needed a stroller, and while it's not here yet, we ordered this one for you. It will be arriving at the condo. I hope it's okay. We got you the blue one, even though I liked the red one better. We were told-I mean, we decided to get you the blue one," she shook her head, realizing her blunder.

"Thank you, all of you," Sharon smiled, not commenting on the specific stroller or color choice. "That was very, very kind, and you didn't need to do that. Believe me, I know how expensive this stuff is. I think I already have to work another five years to pay for what I've already bought, and I barely have anything! I still have to get their cribs! Thank you. Lieutenant, I must say, I'm surprised you didn't just show up with a balloon," she grinned.

"Well, wait until Rusty gets here. You never know what he might bring you," he winked at her as they all left.

Rusty and Gus came later that evening. He texted Sharon near dinnertime telling her he'd be by later. As she sat in her bed, looking at her beautiful babies it clicked; it was Monday, and Rusty would be going to dinner with Andy. While she understood, it hurt that he hadn't come by. The printout of the stroller the team had ordered had been like a card; they'd all signed the paper, well, everyone but Andy. Sure, his name was on it, but it had been written on, surely not by Andy because it was signed, "Flynn," and Sharon knew of one person who called Andy "Flynn." Plus, Sharon knew Andy's handwriting. Rusty and Gus stopped by, saying they'd had a nice dinner, but not going into detail about with whom they'd had that dinner. Sharon hadn't pried. They came with dinner for Sharon, coincidently from her favorite soup and salad place, along with a custom balloon that said, "Way over the Hill and delivered twins!" After Sharon got done laughing at that, Rusty assured Sharon it was NOT something he'd picked out, but instead been asked to deliver to her. She didn't need ask the name of the purchaser.

The two stayed for over an hour, and by then, the babies were getting fussy and needing a bottle. Once Sharon finished all that and the nurses helped her with their diapers, she sank back on her bed, exhausted. They were going to get her up and walking in the morning. Grateful the babies were healthy and safe, she closed her eyes. Maybe she'd get a little sleep.

Sharon jolted awake a bit later, to find the babies out of the room. A note was taped to the tray table right in front of her saying the babies were in the nursery again and would return soon. She leaned back, letting out her breath. She must have been exhausted; she hadn't even heard them come in for the babies. She hoped they hadn't been crying. How horrible would that be-she, their mom, sleeping while they were wailing their hearts out? Oh, she needed sleep and lots of it. This was going to be a long journey alone.

As she rested, she noticed just how quiet it was. Quiet-not a word that went with labor and delivery, no, but it was quiet. It was after midnight, and she was alone. Thing would get better; they'd have to. She was now the mother to two infants, and she'd have to pull herself together. She lay there for awhile, glancing around, the soft light from the hallway shedding just a small amount of light in her room. The roses from the team were beautiful, she smiled. As she turned for her glasses on the other night stand, she almost jumped. Lilies. There sat two bouquets of lilies. She put on her glasses and noticed one had a blue bow, and one had a purple bow. Lilies, her favorite flower. Only one person knew they were her favorite flower, and it wasn't Jack. Oh, good old Jack. They most definitely weren't from Jack. She'd gotten a text from him earlier in the afternoon that said, "Seems as if you've made a fine mess of your life since you decided to divorce me, Sharon. Good luck with all that." Yeah, definitely not from Jack.

Only one other person besides Jack had ever gotten her flowers. She shifted, looking for a card or something. There wasn't anything, but the flowers spoke for themselves.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for the amazing feedback. We continue...don't worry; this is nowhere near ending.**

The days ticked by. Sharon and the twins were getting stronger, and by Thursday, the trio was ready to go home. Sharon had been able to get a bit of rest, and she took advantage of that. She knew once she got home there would be no help, so she used the nursery there at the hospital when she could. She was up and moving, albeit slowly. Right now, she was irritated with her weight; she knew it was too soon to be worrying about that, but still. She hated to be in this weird weight stage of just delivered a baby but need to get back into shape. It didn't matter, she knew. No one would be noticing anyway, but it was still an annoyance. She hated every item of clothing she had. On some level, she wanted to return to her "normal" life, well, normal in at least the clothing aspect. Thinking about it, she was seeking some sort of control where she didn't have any. She didn't have control over the babies' schedule right now-there was no schedule. They were newborns. She didn't have control over her body and weight yet, and she definitely didn't have control over her emotions and feelings for Andy.

He'd not stopped by the whole week she'd been at the hospital-well, except for the mysterious flowers that had shown up, but she never knew if he sent those or came by; that hurt, but she couldn't blame him. Why would he want to see the result of her massive screw up? Gus and Rusty had been by everyday, both together, and sometimes alone. Emily and Ricky had checked in on her by phone. Patrice had come, lovely Patrice. Sharon had broken down with her, an easy thing to do with such a wonderful woman. Patrice ended up staying several hours one afternoon, even giving Sharon some tips on caring for twins from her nursing days. Sharon was grateful for a friend like Patrice; she wasn't judging her, but she was being there for her when she needed someone. Patrice promised to come by after Sharon got back home. Sharon told Patrice how much she missed them-double dates and times with Patrice, Provenza, and Andy. She told her about how badly she messed up her life with Andy; Patrice knew. She knew the love story and saw it fall apart before her eyes. She remembered back to the happy Captain and Lieutenant at her wedding. It was a mess indeed.

Sharon and the twins were discharged late Thursday evening, which was perfect for Rusty. He could get to class and over to help with Sharon. Rusty drove Sharon's car home with all her precious cargo. Gus followed with Rusty's car. The drive was a bit overwhelming. Sharon looked back, seeing her two beautiful babies situated in their car seats, safe and sound. Andy. He'd helped with those, and just as the babies were a sad reminder to him, the car seats were one of the few good memories she had of him currently.

There was a lot to get inside, and Rusty and Gus helped by carrying the babies-each taking one. Sharon took her small bag, and the boys promised to come back for the rest of the things. Rusty had offered to go by the condo during the week to get anything Sharon needed, but she'd packed what she needed. Everything else could wait, but she'd asked the boys to at least get the bassinets setup tonight. She'd start on the rest tomorrow. Tomorrow, the day her life-now as she knew it-was beginning. Home, twins, alone.

"Sharon, we'll put the babies over here in the living room in their car seats and go back down for the other stuff, if that's okay?" Rusty asked. Sharon hummed in agreement. She put her bag down and deposited the takeout the guys had picked up on the way. Sharon spotted the new stroller sitting in the living room in the box. Rusty must have put it there when it arrived.

"That's fine, guys. I'll just freshen up a bit. I'd love a shower, so I'll start moving in that direction. I'd better get one while you two are here this evening, and then I'll let you get going," she said.

"Sharon, we can stay as long as you need. Wait till we get back up here for your shower so we can watch the babies, and then take your time. We'll be right back," Rusty said, and the boys disappeared.

The twins were sleeping, so it was eerily quiet in the condo. Sharon walked down the hall to use the bathroom. She was so desperate to take a shower in her own house and start the process of feeling human again. On her way, she stopped in her room to find some clothing that would fit. She found some old sweatpants that wouldn't be tight, as well as an old LAPD t-shirt that seemed awfully big for her. It would work. It would be the first time since her meltdown in the Tampa bathroom that she wore any normal clothing, and she knew it would be like a new beginning-a new beginning in old, almost tattered clothing. She needed it.

Sharon walked down to the bathroom to drop off her clothes before checking on the babies again. She gasped as she covered her mouth. Rusty's room was no longer Rusty's room. What had he and Gus done? They'd moved his bed out for her. It must be in storage; they' talked about doing that. She had a storage area downstairs, and they had talked about putting his bed and mattress there. What brought her to tears was the room. It was setup, well, sort of, but it was. Not at all done, but definitely setup. The bassinets were already in place, together, next to each other in the middle of the room, but that was only because there was a crib on each side of the room. Sharon walked to the doorway and started crying again. Crying, these hormones. It had to stop. When had Rusty and Gus done this? Setting up a crib was a huge job, and they'd done two. Not to mention, Sharon hadn't even ordered a crib, and here stood two, dark wood, beautiful dark wood cribs. It was perfect, exactly what she would have picked out. It matched the other furniture in the condo-her bedroom set, the dining room-perfect. Those boys, she shook her head, wiping away the tears. The bedding had even been setup, and Sharon walked over to see it. That sweet bedding. It was even cuter than it had looked in the packaging, and it smelled of the baby detergent she'd used just on Sunday to wash the first of the clothing. Andy always had a sense of style; she didn't know it extended to the bedding he'd put in her cart now weeks ago. The room was filled with more surprises-a chest of drawers and matching rocking chair. Obviously, it was a set. Whatever Rusty had charged on her credit card, it was well worth it.

"Sharon?" she heard from the hallway. "Back here," Sharon said, making sure it wasn't too loud to wake the babies. She turned to them with a bright smile, the first in a long time, "Rusty, this is amazing," she said.

Rusty was carrying a load of stuff, so Sharon moved out of the way, "What?" he said as he looked around in the room, obvious surprise on his face.

Gus followed him in with diapers and other things, "Whoa, this room looks different."

"Wait, you two did this?" Sharon pointed her finger at them, trying to figure out the joke.

The guys looked at each other and at Sharon, "Sharon, I wish I could take credit for this based on your smile. You haven't smiled like that in forever, but no, what's going on? Who did this?"

Sharon was still putting everything together in her head. She was sleep deprived and so sure the boys had surprised her, "You didn't do this? Rusty, what?"

"Sharon, we haven't been here all week. I thought you said you still needed to order all this stuff?" he asked.

The realization sinking in, Sharon sat down in the rocking chair, which by the way, she sunk into-it was so comfortable, "Ahh, it's okay, Rusty," she waved off.

Rusty and Gus looked at each other, "Sharon, are you okay?" Gus asked.

Rusty looked around, "This is nice, Sharon. Wait!" his eyes grew huge, and he looked first to Gus and then to Sharon. Sharon nodded. Rusty had figured it out too.

Later that night, when Sharon was finally alone-well, as alone as you could get with four-day-old twins, she sat in the silence of the room. Rusty had gone down to the storage unit, and to no surprise, all Rusty's furniture had been put there. This room. It was lovely, and she couldn't believe it. How did you repay someone for something like that? How did you even say thank-you to the one person you'd trampled on and destroyed? The twins were in their bassinets, sleeping for the moment. Thank goodness they were still in the "baby coma" stage of almost all sleep and eat. There wasn't much crying yet, but Sharon knew that luck could run out any minute. She sat there in her sweats, feeling a bit more human, trying to think of a way to say thank-you. Was there any way possible? She'd start by paying him back. That was easy; this wasn't cheap. She'd looked at sets similar to this one, but this was nicer than anything she'd seen. All of the sets had also been priced with just one crib, and obviously, she had two. Paying him back-she'd start there. So, she got her phone, and after deleting text after text, she said, "I know the check I'm putting in the mail will cover the cost, but there's no way I can pay you for your time and effort, all the labor you put into assembling this room. So, for now, I'll start with the check. It will be in the mail tomorrow. If it's not enough, let me know. If it's more, well, consider that payment for some of your labor. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Sharon put the phone down, and leaned her head back, sighing. The babies were sleeping. She could hear their sweet noises as they snored softly. She was too tired to move; she'd just sleep here for now, close to them, close to her sweet, innocent babies. The flowers from the hospital, the lilies that were almost dead, but she couldn't bear to throw them away, were on the dresser.

A minute later, she was surprised to read, "Don't bother. I won't cash it."


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you again for all the amazing feedback! I'e had this chapter idea for quite a long time. Enjoy!**

Sharon could tell she was drifting off into a blissful slumber, and she didn't care. She maybe should have; she hadn't showered since the night before, which normally wouldn't be a big deal, but she was covered in baby everything. Her hair was a train wreck, possibly to never be untangled again. She felt gross, but the couch felt wonderful. She'd flopped onto the couch finally after quieting both babies. Their little "sleep coma"-yeah, it was over. She knew that would end. Instead, they'd spent the last two hours wailing, and now that it was silent; well, she had never liked silence so much. Both babies were fed, bathed, changed, and currently swinging. They were asleep, best of all, and she figured she had about two hours before it started all over again. Oh, this was the part that she'd chosen to forget-the selective memory part of newborns. This time, though, she was 25 years plus older than the last time. She figured she'd shower later when Rusty came by, but for now, she was going to sleep. She'd been home now 24 hours, and she'd maybe gotten four hours of sleep, if that, and that wasn't even all at once. Ahh, sleep. Shower later; sleep now.

Sharon flew up on the couch, and then she remembered she'd had a C-section. That hurt, but she'd jumped up because she'd been asleep again, and she hadn't heard the babies. Thomas was starting to whimper. How long had she been out? Oh, sitting up that fast; it hurt. She'd have to watch that. She was healing well, but that wasn't a good idea. Man, she felt like crud-like literally cruddy. She wanted a shower and was regretting not getting one. What time was it? Where was Rusty? It was dark, so he should be here soon. She took her time standing, noting that she was stiff from falling asleep on her couch. She really must have slept hard; she felt like she had. She was groggy, and that couch-oh, it was uncomfortable, but it had allowed her to sleep for three hours. She'd had her one leg sprawled up on the top of the cushion. She was paying for it now; it was still asleep. Her hair was disgusting; it was matted to her head, and her arm was stiff because she'd apparently slept with it on her forehead. That was odd too-she was TIRED. Tired was the only way to describe how she'd fallen asleep. A shower would be great, but not yet. Now, Thomas. He was starting to squirm, and she knew he was probably getting hungry. Her phone alerted her she'd slept three hours-wow, three hours. The babies had gone longer than she thought, but here, he was definitely hungry. She scooped him up, cuddling him, as she prepared to change him and feed him. She shushed him, speaking softly to him as she started to sway with him. She turned to look over at Faith-she'd put the swings on opposite sides of the room in an attempt they wouldn't wake each other. Oh, that was already such a blessing. Yes, in her daze of discovering the completed nursery, she'd failed to discover the other additions. Those, she found this morning when she tackled her gear. Mysteriously, if not coincidently, she had now two swings and two bouncy seats-all matching. It was like the second swing and second bouncy were bought with the knowledge of the first ones. Coincidence? Anyone she worked with knew how she felt about coincidences. Anyway, she'd put the swings on the opposite sides of the room to try and keep them from waking each other. She didn't know if it would work, but she was trying it. Twin mom-she'd try whatever she could. For now, it was at least helping her identify the cries. She knew the cry had come from Thomas, which she considered a win. Right now, their cries sounded alike, and she wanted to pat herself on the back for knowing which child of hers was crying.

So, with Thomas in her arms, she sweetly cuddled him and stopped to check on Faith before going back to change Thomas. Sharon was smiling; babies always did that to her. She was now trying to accept her life, the things she had done. The babies were here to stay, and she was going to try and enjoy them. Who couldn't enjoy sweet, sweet babies?

Oh, sweet Faith. She was a beautiful baby; they both were. Sharon smiled as she walked up to check on Faith. The swing was going, but no Faith. Where was Faith? Sharon panicked, dropping to her feet, while holding Thomas, which was no easy feat, to look for her, as if a newborn would be crawling around. She was careful since she was holding Thomas, but where was Faith? Why was the swing going with no baby? Sharon panicked, jumped up, cradled Thomas, and flew down the hall. Maybe Rusty was rocking her.

Thomas let out a wail, and suddenly, in her frantic state, she came to an abrupt stop. Faith. Sharon let out a whimper as she covered her mouth with her hand, some of the whimper from moving too quickly with a healing incision. The other part of the whimper was at the sight in front of her. She swayed with Thomas to quiet him. Faith was fine. Faith was better than fine, and Sharon couldn't believe the sight. Here it was, Friday night, and Sharon had lost track of all days and time. Faith was passed out asleep on Sharon's bed. What was even more of a shock and had Sharon crying again was that Faith was asleep on Sharon's bed on Andy. He was stretched, calm, peaceful, legs crossed, stretched out with Faith cuddled on his chest. She'd drawn her feet up under her, bottom up in the air, and he had just the right grip on her so she wouldn't move; he had her, and she was safe. Sharon wanted to lean against her door and just watch the two of them forever, but she had a crying Thomas, and the very last thing she wanted to do was to wake the two people in her bedroom. She could even hear the little noises Faith was making, and Andy looked like he was out for awhile; he looked exhausted. Sharon crept away, carrying Thomas, trying to decide if she was in a dream, or if this was a reality.

Sharon went through the motions of changing Thomas, thinking of the beautiful sight in the other room. When had Andy come over? Friday night, she thought. Oh, through all her weeks of going there, even sitting there week after week in total silence, he'd come. He'd come because she couldn't go to his place. He missed her, missed Friday nights, even if he couldn't voice it. This was something she'd wanted since she'd trashed their lives. She'd wanted Friday nights back, and while she was a long way from getting them, Andy had come to her condo on a Friday night. He'd come, and he currently was cuddled up with Faith on her bed. He might be in the mood to say much, for fear of going off on Sharon-rightly so, but his actions were speaking volumes.

It disturbed her she hadn't heard Andy come in. She knew she was tired, but still. Nothing. She hadn't moved, and he'd even gotten Faith at some point. Why? Was she crying? He'd never come to see her at the hospital, but here he was in her home, on a Friday night, sleeping with Faith. Sharon smiled down at Thomas, as he was getting himself worked up to start crying. She quickly moved down the hall to the kitchen, when really, she just wanted to stare at Andy and Faith. She really needed to find her phone. Even if Andy never came over again, she wanted to remember this moment. Quickly, she made up Thomas' bottle, found his bib and burp cloth, and she found her phone. Wait? There was food. She walked backwards toward the kitchen, not realizing she'd missed the takeout cartons on the counter. They'd been opened, so not only had Andy come over, entered the condo without waking her, he'd brought food, eaten, and somehow during all this, he'd moved Faith. She shook her head. She was totally sleep deprived, and now, she was embarrassed Andy had to see her looking like a crud; she really needed a shower. The old LAPD shirt and sweats were terrible she realized. Not only had he come over and done all of that, he'd seen Sharon completely passed out on the couch. Great, just great. Oh, the swing-it was still moving. She silently chuckled; she should have realized it was Andy. That was a very Andy thing to do-take care of all things baby, but leave the swing still in motion. She stopped the swing and tip-toed back to her bedroom. While she juggled holding the bottle under her chin for him, she used her somewhat free hand to snap her picture. At least she'd have that memory.

Once Sharon got her picture, she focused once again on feeding Thomas. He was a beautiful boy, and his hair looked darker than Faith's hair so far. Time would tell, but he looked like he was going to have hair like Ricky and Emily. Faith's was lighter, more like Sharon's so far. Sharon, holding Thomas as she was feeding him, looked around, trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She glanced in the room, and she knew what she wanted to do. She walked in, holding Thomas and gingerly sat down on her side of the bed-yes, her side was unoccupied, and she settled in feeding Thomas. She felt herself drifting off to sleep as he finished eating, and she secured him next to her, in her arm, not how she wanted to sleep on a regular basis, but she wasn't giving this up for the world right now. Oh, this was her dream, and if only it could have been the reality. Still, she'd take what she could get, and if it was just this one evening, a couple hours on a Friday night cuddled up with her babies and Andy, she'd take it. Thomas settled in, scrunching up on her chest too, and soon, he looked like Faith.

Sharon woke a couple hours later to both babies crying. At least she heard them this time, and she sat up, realizing neither baby was in the room with her. She looked around, and while she wondered if all of that was a dream, she realized it wasn't. She was in her bedroom; there was an empty bottle on her nightstand-well two-there was one on each nightstand, confirming Faith had been in here too, but her room was empty. Somehow, she'd been so tired, she'd allowed a sleeping baby to be pried from her arms. That disturbed her, but she was trying to accept that she currently was at a new low for being tired. Sharon walked out, noting the sound was coming from the nursery. She walked in and found both babies, swaddled and in their bassinets. After a quick check, she found Andy was gone. The food had been put up, and the babies had been put in their beds, but Andy had left. Sharon sighed as she leaned up against the doorframe. Progress. At least it was progress. At least he'd come, and she hoped he'd come back next week.


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, after all the "heavy" chapters, here's a much lighter one. I think you'll get a chuckle out of this one. I've had this playing out in my head, so I hope you enjoy!**

"Rusty, I'm back here in the nursery," Sharon called out when she heard him come in. She was currently changing Faith, and Thomas was up next. She was still trying not to carry both babies at the same time. She knew she'd have to do that, but she was pretty sore still, especially after antics last night-sleeping on the couch, running around the condo like a crazy person thinking her five-day-old was crawling around-so yes, she was trying not to overdo it by carrying both babies. It was now Saturday morning, and once again, she still hadn't had a shower. Oh, bless Rusty for coming so she could shower and catch a break. She'd have to find out why he didn't come over last night, but she wasn't complaining. She still had the sight of Andy sleeping with Faith on his chest, and that was one she never wanted to forget. "Rusty, could you bring Thomas back here when you come? He's in the swing, and now that he's fed, I need to change him."

Thomas appeared in the doorway, almost like an offering from _The Lion King_ or something. Sharon actually jumped back to see him there like that and opened her mouth to scold Rusty for holding him like that when she saw that clearly, those weren't Rusty's hands gripping Thomas. Sharon let out a small smile as Andy stepped into the doorway with Thomas, and for the first time in a long time, his eyes met hers. Gorgeous Andy-jeans, casual shirt, with the sleeves partly rolled up, loafers-her Andy, except he wasn't.

Oh, she had so many things to say-so many wonderful things to thank him for. The help, the nursery, well, just being Andy. She almost didn't know what to say, but she looked at him and said, "I need a shower."

Andy just moved out of the doorway, still holding Thomas, but now almost like a football, and waved her out. Not a word, he just waved her out, so in her semi-haze, she walked out and into the bathroom, hearing Andy move into the nursery and take over. She closed the bathroom door and leaned up against it, replaying the scene that had just happened, "I need a shower?" she thought to herself? That's the best she could do for this wonderful man who had come by again, now Saturday morning after he'd been there the evening prior? It was true, she was beyond needing a shower. She was a mess, so she pushed off the door and resolved to shower and bring herself back to the land of the living. Andy was here, and she could at least do that much.

30 minutes later, Sharon reappeared, hoping that Andy wasn't on his way out the door. She felt badly for taking 30 minutes, when in reality, she had rushed even through that. The great part was she felt like a new person and vowed to not let the shower thing happen again. She would shower each day, even if she had to put the bouncy seats on the floor of the bathroom. Sharon was done being pregnant and was now trying to navigate to her new normal. Dressing herself, some makeup, hair-it was all happening. She didn't have a lot of goals right now, but that was at the top of the list. It was sad that as the Assistant Chief of Police for Los Angeles, her new daily goal was to get a shower.

She'd tried to squeeze into her normal leggings, and with a frustrated sigh, she gave up. They were just too tight still, so she found some of her maternity ones and put those on with a regular oversized sweater. It was tighter than she wanted, but it still felt wonderful to wear something normal. She took a few minutes to dry and style her hair and put on a touch of makeup. Yes, she felt like a new person, and if it just happened to be because one of her six favorite people-yes, she had six favorite people, if one of her six favorite people, okay three of her six favorite people were in the next room over, well, so she was trying to look nice for half of her favorite people, even if two of the three still didn't have the best vision yet.

Sharon walked out of her room to the sounds of the swing-no crying, just the swings. Bless him. He had both babies quiet, but was he still here? Sharon quickly found her answer, as he was situated on the floor with the parts to the stroller all around him. Each baby was in its swing, sleeping, and he was sitting there trying to put her stroller together. It was wonderful. It was domestic. It was everything she'd ever imagine wanting, but she'd messed it up.

"Thank you," she nodded to him, partially indicating the stroller and partially indicating everything else. Things were tense with them, and she didn't know whether to expect the silent treatment or a fight. Hopefully, something in between. He nodded.

"Figured it was pretty crappy for the team to get you a stroller and then expect you to put it together," he said softly as he stared at the directions. Sharon just nodded and decided to get him something to drink. She could at least attempt to be a decent hostess for the man who'd done wonders for her the last few days.

When she returned with his cranberry juice, she set it down on the table. The nice thing about them, was that as awkward as it was right now, they knew each other's thoughts, likes, and dislikes. There wasn't much that needed to be asked. Andy was almost done now with the stroller, and the twins were swinging away in a blissful slumber. It was almost nice. It was almost normal.

"Andy, not that I'm glad you are here; I'm really glad, actually, but why are you here? I know you have things you'd rather do than be around me?" Sharon asked as she sat down on the edge of the coffee table right next to where Andy was sitting on the floor.

"You need some help," he shrugged and went back to working. It was clear he wasn't going to say more. Sharon fought back the tears-she really was working on NOT crying today, and she stood smiling. She leaned over and hugged Andy.

"Thank you," she said in a whisper, taking in his cologne as she hugged him.

Andy pulled back, "Sharon, please don't," he raised his arms. "Look, it's hard enough to come here, see you, see them," he pointed towards the babies, "I'm doing my best. I can barely speak to you right now, but please, I can't hold you."

Sharon sighed; he was right, so she nodded, "Thank you," she repeated and stood, walking back toward her mess on her kitchen table. She had mail to sort, bills to pay, basically a week's worth of stuff to catch up on.

"There's soup and salad in there. Sharon, you need to eat. I know you are tired and didn't eat the dinner I brought last night. The leftovers are still in the fridge. You aren't going to be of any use to them if you are hungry and tired. Knowing you, you're probably trying to starve yourself to get your beautiful little self back into shape, back into all of your normal clothes, but you need to eat," he said as he spoke while focusing on tightening the last bolt.

Sharon's hand froze on the piece of mail she was looking at while listening to Andy. He'd clearly just realized what he'd said too, and he scurried up from the floor, gathering his tools, and without looking at her said, "I'll be right back. Need to run down to the car for something."

Before she could utter a sound, he was out the door. Sharon just stood there, staring into the living room, staring at the stroller where he'd just said that, and listened to the silence as his words repeated through her head.

When Andy returned several minutes later, Sharon had set lunch out for the two of them. It felt so normal-their plates were at their normal place settings. If only she could rewind a year. She glanced over to her living room, the swings still rocking, and she sighed. She loved those babies, but oh, she'd caused some damage. She was getting the last of lunch on the table when Andy returned. He didn't comment on what he'd said earlier, and as she suspected, the "something" he had to get was nowhere to be seen.

Sharon sat at the table, and Andy, seeing she was actually going to eat, came and sat down too. They began eating in silence. He was here, and for that she was grateful.

"I can't thank you enough for-well, for everything," she motioned around the house. "You're a good man, Andy."

Andy huffed, "I certainly don't feel like it. I feel like a poor excuse for a human being-like some dirt bag myself, and I still am beating myself up for giving into the bottle again when I did," he shook his head as he took a bite of his soup.

Instead of getting into things again, Sharon just said, "Andy, you're the best man I know. I'm forever grateful to know you."

The two resumed their silence and enjoyed it while it lasted because a couple minutes later, Thomas started to fuss. Sharon moved to get up, and Andy waved her off, "You sit and eat. I've got him. They are like vultures waiting on prey; as soon as you are off your game for just a minute to eat-they strike," earning the first chuckle from Sharon in awhile. Andy, he always could make her laugh. His analogy was correct too; they were waiting until she was "off her game" to strike. She was trying to eat-not just standing and waiting on them, and of course, now they were hungry too. Andy walked over toward Thomas, and Sharon watched. She was surprised when he didn't pick him up, but instead, picked up the tv remote and walked back over to her.

"Here," he said, smacking it down on the table. "Listen, I can never watch NFL football again; it's ruined. Sundays are ruined, so even though I've never been as into college football, find something to watch. I have to find a new team or a few new teams-I don't care. I'm going to change him, and then you had better have found a team to watch, some new favorite team."

Sharon looked up at him, digesting what he had said. Ahh, football, yes. One of their favorite things to do. Fall-football, spring-baseball. In the fall, they always watched football, well, they had. Sunday afternoons after Mass, they always watched football, and that would go on into the evening. They usually never got to watch Monday night football because of work, but Sunday, that had been their football day. They loved football. Even when they had just started hanging out as friends, they found football to be a nice, common topic to discuss. That was one of the reasons the NFL job had been such a great opportunity for Sharon. Andy had been excited, initially, too with the idea of traveling around, visiting Sharon, and going to games in all sorts of cities. It really did sound like a great job, but well, that was, as he said, now ruined. So, Sharon sat there, looking up at him, as he looked back at her, the remote now next to her. There weren't any words to express anything, so she just nodded, her eyes meeting his.

Andy nodded back, and turned, "Come on Tom. Let's get your changed," he said to himself out loud as he walked over and picked up the tiny baby. Sharon almost chuckled at the sight; Andy was so big, and Thomas was so small. She might have chuckled if she hadn't been caught off guard by his calling him Tom. She'd named him Thomas in the thought she wouldn't shorten it. The kids have even asked if she was going to call him Tommy or something because she already had Emily, Ricky, and Rusty. She said that no, she liked Thomas. So, hearing Andy be so casual to call him Tom, well, she crossed her arms and gave him a glare as he turned around, Thomas, on his shoulder, a shoulder that held a burp cloth on it too.

"What?" he asked, looking totally confused. Years ago, it was common he found himself on the receiving end of the death glare, but in recent years, it had not been a look he'd seen much. He was used to seeing Sharon look at him so lovingly-even ogle him at times, so now, as he stood there holding the baby, he wondered why the glare? He thought back over what might have precipitated it, "Oh, Sharon, you seriously aren't going to call him Thomas all the time are you? Really? He's a boy. Come on. I'd probably have beat up a kid in New York when I was little if they walked up to me saying they wanted to be called Thomas."

"What's wrong with Thomas?" she asked, now getting irritated, giving him a look.

Andy just rolled his eyes, looking at the baby, "Tom, do you want to be called Thomas?" almost baiting the baby because as he said that, Thomas, or Tom, let out a wail, a clear indication he was hungry, but Andy was obviously using it to his advantage. "Exactly," he waved with his other hand, now looking at Sharon. She just sat there, no words to reply to that, and Andy walked off with Tom, now apparently that discussion over.

Sharon cleaned up lunch while Andy was changing Tom, and when he came back, she had both bottles ready for the next feeding. She'd also found a football game to watch. Sharon was at the swings; she'd had to turn off Tom's swing again because Andy seemed to have a habit of letting it run, and now she was getting Faith out of her swing. The bottles were on the coffee table, and she'd done the one thing Andy had asked-she'd found a college football game to watch. Neither were against college football, but neither had gone to large football schools, so they just didn't have "teams" to cheer for like they'd formed with the NFL.

"It looks like the Oregon Ducks are playing right now," she commented, picking up Faith. She turned to Andy, now, each holding a baby, to gauge his reaction.

He nodded, grabbed a bottle, and flopped down on the couch, "The Oregon Ducks. Sounds like a perfect favorite team for two newborns-the Ducks. Okay, Tom," he said, getting the baby situated so he could feed him, "Let's watch the Ducks, and I'll tell you all about football."

Well, it appeared she was doing the two things Andy had asked-he'd asked her to find a college football team to enjoy after she'd ruined any chance of ever watching the NFL again, and he'd also asked her, no this he'd told her, to change Thomas' name to Tom. Considering everything he'd done for her, she could concede.

 **A/N-As I wrote this chapter, I could almost hear the conversation about "Tom" playing out. I hope I conveyed the annoyance Andy had with calling him Thomas. Also, I love college football, and when I was thinking about Sharon finding new teams to watch, I thought through many of the different college football mascots to find just the right one for Tom and Andy to enjoy :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**So, the saying, "Short but sweet..." Yeah, this is short, BUT...**

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" he asked. The four of them had been watching football for several hours, and Sharon couldn't explain just how great it felt to do something so normal. Now, they were still sitting on the couch, and it had been silent for awhile. They had all fallen asleep briefly, but that was over now. Neither had spoken in quite some time, partly to enjoy the silence-the babies had fallen asleep again, but partly because it was still a bit tense and awkward. Now, they found themselves awake and watching a new football game while Faith was asleep on Sharon's chest and Tom was asleep on Andy's. He'd broken the silence with his question, which he repeated again after Sharon looked at him, confused, "Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"Hmm, what?" she asked, looking at him, trying to figure out where his mind had gone.

Andy rolled his eyes, shifting as to not wake Tom. He had been flailing his arm around, and he knew never to wake a sleeping baby, "Their middle names."

"What do you mean?" Sharon asked, drawing her lips tight, giving Andy no indication she had any clue what he was asking.

"Come on Sharon," he rolled his eyes again.

Sharon looked at him, "How do you know their middle names?"

Andy shook his head while he closed his eyes, mumbling to himself, "Why wouldn't I know their middle names?"

Sharon chose not to get into that right now. She had thought about firing back that he hadn't been by the hospital to visit her, but she wasn't looking for a fight. For one, the babies were sleeping, and for another, she was really enjoying this normal day. Andy was here and talking to her-neither thing had happened in a long time.

So, instead, she just shrugged, "I liked those names."

Andy's eyes zoned in on her, "Sharon, even the idiot detectives in robbery/homicide could figure this one out. Come on, "he sighed.

Sharon pretended to yawn and stretch, as much as she could without moving Faith, hoping to get the topic away from this particular conversation.

"Sharon?" Andy asked, not letting it go. "So, you're telling me in your baby book of names, of the thousands of names out there, that Tom's middle name of Michael just happens to be my middle name, and that Faith's middle name of Amelia just happens to be my deceased mother's name? Wow, what a coincidence!" he said in a loud, almost harsh whisper.

Sharon looked at him and gave him a soft smile and shrug, "Coincides can happen."

Andy just rolled his eyes and focused on the tv again. Apparently, he wasn't going to get any information. He'd been working through this in his brain all week.

It was quiet for a few moments, aside from the background noise of the tv and the small snores coming from the babies. Sharon sighed, and then she started rubbing Faith's back as she spoke, "I wanted them to be part of you, Andy," she shook her head. "I'm very aware, very much aware," she got choked up and stopped to catch her breath- "I'm very aware they aren't yours, but I wanted them to have part of you. You are truly the best man I know; I've said it before, and I'll say it again. While they might not have your DNA and you may never forgive me, I wanted them to have a little part of the best man, the most decent, honorable man I know. It was simple," she shrugged. She looked away.

Andy remained quiet, staring at the screen, but not really watching the television. Sharon continued a few moments later, still rubbing Faith's back.

"No one else knows that. My kids asked how I picked the names, but no one knows that," she offered. "I told the kids I just liked the names. He," Sharon started speaking again, the HE in question seemed too obvious as Sharon described him, "He is not a decent human being, and I will never forget that. I'll always regret it. He was a womanizer, and I was just one on his list of conquests. I know very well that I allowed it to occur, but I was stupid, careless-so reckless. He has a young family at home, not to mention the number of women he's…conquered," she said trying to pick the right word. "I allowed myself to be drawn in, to think that lust and excitement for a few moments was better than a lifetime of faithfulness, promise and happiness. He didn't even blink when I asked him to sign over his rights to them, laughed, saying he couldn't believe he was that good-that someone my age could even-" she shook her breath, "He didn't blink, didn't even care that he was signing off two people he'd help create, so to me, that makes him a terrible human being. He told me he already had too many kids-his wife was pregnant then too, and doing that to me-as he said even much worse-didn't make him their father. He doesn't think he's made any mistakes; in fact, he's proud of his ability to hide his conquests from his wife, and it saddens me to think I may see some of that disgusting man in either of these beautiful babies," she said now tearing up. Andy had looked away, was staring at the windows, as Sharon continued, "Anyway, when I was working through all this, processing all this, I knew I needed to see some good in these babies. For nine months, I haven't seen any good. They are true miracles-I never should have been able to carry one baby, let alone two. We didn't have health issues, and they are perfect-true miracles. I knew I needed to see them as wonderful people on the inside, even when I know I was a completely horrible person when I created them. So, without having to explain it to others how I can see the good here in the bad, I see it with their middle names-named after the most decent person I know. I knew you'd notice, eventually. I guess I forget you've always been my best detective," she sighed, looking down.

"Thomas," she continued after she cleared her voice, "Thomas and Faith, their names, came from me. I haven't shared any of this with anyone either. I know it's not the exact story setup from the Bible, but I somehow came to the notion that when I have my doubts-when I'm doubting, like a Doubting Thomas, that I need to have Faith. I need to have faith that I can come through this, raise these innocent babies, and that somehow the greatest mistake of my life, won't be just that. That even though I ruined lives, that two innocent children can grow up to be decent human beings. I have been doubting myself-my choices and actions, knowing I did terrible things. I've been doubting whether I can ever be forgiven, but I keep hold to my faith, that somewhere in all of this, there is something good. Their names, they weren't just picked out of a book."

"I'm going to change Faith," she whispered, as she stood, collected herself, and headed down the hall where she clearly needed a moment. Faith wasn't even awake; it didn't take a detective to see that.

Andy sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. He looked down at Tom, and Andy stood gingerly. He placed Tom back in his swing, and once he secured him, Andy closed the door silently as he left. They both needed some space.


	13. Chapter 13

"What did you do all weekend?" Provenza asked Andy, as Andy got himself seated and situated in Provenza's office. Andy still had a hard time coming in this office, Sharon's office. The view from his desk was nothing like it used to be. No, he used to sit sideways at his desk chair just to watch Sharon, but now, well, if he didn't have to see Provenza all day, that was a good day. Here it was, Monday morning, and Provenza had just called him in for their case update. "I thought you were coming over Saturday night for pizza. I tried calling, and you didn't answer. Don't tell me you were drowning in a bottle again?" Provenza glared at Andy as he asked him the question.

"No! I haven't had a drink four and a half months!" he sputtered. "I wasn't drinking," he shook his head. "Just didn't feel like coming over."

Provenza raised his eyebrows looking at Andy, "Do you need a meeting?"

Andy waved him off, "No, I'm fine. Just had stuff going on. Spent all day yesterday with Nicole, Dean, and the boys. Now, can we actually do some work? Shouldn't you, the boss, be telling me to get back to work?"

Provenza grumbled, and the two got back to work. Provenza would get Andy to talk later.

As the team was discussing the particulars of their latest case later that morning, Fritz walked in for an update. After they had given him one, he turned to the group, "So, any updated on your former fearless leader? Last word I had she was home from the hospital."

All eyes gazed the room, and finally Julio jumped in, "That's what we've heard, Chief. We ordered her the stroller she wanted, but some of us earlier were talking about stopping by to check on her, see if she needs any help," he said as he glanced toward Andy. Andy had not been part of that earlier conversation, but Julio wanted to indicated Andy might want to consider it. Of course, as he sat there-none of the team even knew he'd been speaking to her. "We were talking about taking her some food too, maybe even on a rotation," Julio added.

Fritz nodded, "That all sounds good. Lieutenant Provenza, if your team sets up anything, let me know. I'll be glad to help too. We all know she can handle most anything on her own, but this might even do her in-home with twin newborns," he shook his head, chuckling. "She doesn't flinch when staring a murderer in the face, but two crying babies might break her."

The rest of the team started chuckling at that, as Fritz left. Andy didn't want to admit the joke was good, so he turned back and started working at his computer, while the rest of the team finished thinking about the image of Sharon with the twins.

"So, what is the plan?" Amy asked. "We really need to check on her. We know she isn't going to ask for help. Plus, we all know she doesn't cook a lot or really make a big deal about eating, but still," she shrugged.

"I'll be happy to check on her tomorrow. A couple of us could stop by with lunch," Julio offered.

Provenza nodded, "Good idea, Julio. If you take her a big lunch, at least we know she'll have it for lunch and dinner tomorrow. Maybe we could do that every couple days. We need her as rested as possible when she gets back to work. That paperwork I have piling up for her isn't going to sign itself."

"So, lunch tomorrow?" Julio added.

"I'm in," Buzz waved. "Then, maybe others can take different days?"

Andy had worked through all this, typing away on his computer, and as the team had discussed everything, they'd all taken turns to glance toward him.

"So, Buzz, we can figure out the specifics in the morning," Julio offered.

Buzz nodded, and Mike jumped in, "Well, if you two take tomorrow, then maybe Amy and I can take the next slot. Wes, if you and Andy want to take a slot together, we could then send Provenza with Fritz," Mike offered, planning things like he enjoyed doing.

Finally, Andy sighed, knowing he would have to say something, even though he was opening a can of worms and didn't want to talk about this at all, "She won't be home at lunch tomorrow," he mumbled, as he still continued to work. Unless they had actually been baiting him to talk, the team might have missed it.

All eyes turned to Andy, and he refused to stop working. They all sat, waiting for him to say anything.

"What's that, Sir?" Julio asked.

Andy sighed, turned his chair to the group, and rolled his eyes, "Look, I'm just saving you from a wasted trip tomorrow. She won't be home at lunch."

The group looked at him, and Provenza finally stepped in, "Flynn, now why would you know that? You wouldn't even go see her in the hospital-now, with good reason, but still."

Andy rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "Look, Faith and Tom have a doctor's appointment, so she won't be home. You might want to pick a different day."

"Faith and Tom?" Provenza questioned, "Since when do you know the names of the Captain's kids, and since when did you call one of them Tom like you are all buddy-buddy with him?"

Truth was, Andy now was buddy-buddy with Tom. Andy just didn't want to tell the team he'd spent most of Saturday hanging out with his buddy Tom on the couch watching football. He certainly wasn't going to tell them he was buddy-buddy with Faith too, after he'd held her all of Friday night while taking a nap.

"Those are their names!" he exclaimed. "Look, they may not be my kids, but I know their names."

"Except, Sir, she told us she was calling him Thomas. Somebody-was it you Nolan?-somebody asked if she was calling him Tommy, and she said no, Thomas," Julio tried not to grin, knowing they were all pulling information they desperately wanted.

"Yeah," Wes nodded, "that's true. We were all standing there, and she said she wasn't planning to call him Tommy like her other kids' with the "y" sound on the end."

"Well, I'm pretty sure it's Tom," Andy said rather forcefully and turned back to his computer, where he started working again. The rest of the team eyed each other, knowing they weren't done yet.

Provenza picked things up again, "So, Flynn, having dinner with Rusty tonight?"

Andy sighed and rolled his eyes as he sat at his computer, "Yeah, we always have dinner on Monday? Why? I've been having dinner with Nicole on Sundays and dinner with Rusty on Mondays for awhile now. No big surprise. I told him I'd swing by campus and pick him up. Is that okay with all of you? Do you want it written up in an office memo?"

"No reason," Provenza shrugged. "Glad you are still spending time with your kids who live here in LA." The rest of the office, sat watching the scene in front of them. They knew Provenza would cut to the chase. "You might want to ask him if he's sure about journalism right now," he nodded to the group, and they all started to nod along too. Andy turned, seeing everyone acting weird.

"Why? What's going on? Why would I ask him if he's sure about journalism? You all know he's interested in that," Andy commented.

"Well, yes, we do, but seems like he might be a better photographer-good at getting those behind the scenes shots, you know," Provenza shrugged.

Andy was giving confused looks to everyone in the room, when his phone dinged.

"Sir," Julio nodded toward him, indicating he should pick up his phone.

"What's going on?" Andy asked, picking up his phone.

As he opened it to see the text, Provenza explained, "Seems as Rusty stopped by the condo Saturday afternoon to check on Goldilocks and her little bear cubs. Looks like he found quite the den full sleeping," he said as Andy smacked down his phone, "and well, he wanted all the team to know."

"Rusty!" Andy said exasperated, not that Rusty was there at all.

"Spill it, Flynn," Provenza said, as Mike shoved a rolling chair over toward Provenza so he could sit down. "We're all listening."


	14. Chapter 14

Andy didn't go into great detail with the team. He didn't tell them that while he wanted to hate Sharon, deep down he still loved her. He shouldn't; she'd done a terrible thing to him, to them, but he couldn't shake it. He couldn't shake her. He was struggling with what to do with that because he didn't want to get hurt. He'd been hurt enough for a lifetime. He didn't tell them that while for any other situation, any other person, he might agree with the phrasing he'd heard so much, "Once a cheat, always a cheat." He believed that was true for many, but deep down, he knew that wasn't true for Sharon. Sure, he never would have pegged her for doing what she'd done; that was Jack's style, but he truly believed Sharon had hit rock bottom, was clawing her way out, and she would never go down that path again. He didn't tell the team all the details, but he told them he was trying to let Sharon back in as a friend. That was true, and honestly, he said it might only ever be that. The team understood. He was trying to be a good friend, the kind of friend like Provenza had been to him. Sure, Provenza hadn't done something terrible to Andy, quite the contrary-Provenza had always been there for Andy, but Andy wanted to be like Provenza-He wanted to support his friend even when she had made terrible choices, terrible mistakes. Andy had done that, and Provenza had been there anyway. While the situations were so different, on some level, to Andy, they were the same as far as being there for a friend.

Now, as far as a personal, level, that was entirely different. Andy's heart was shattered, and Sharon had done that. He'd proposed to her, and she'd run-not just to the hills, but she'd run straight into the arms of a dirt bag. Sharon. He knew she was better than that, but he never thought she'd be the one to completely shatter his heart to bits. On some twisted level, he saw why his ex-wife hated him so much; he'd done that to her. He'd never cheated on her, no, he was better than that, but he'd certainly destroyed their marriage with his drinking. He'd run straight to the bottle, and that was something from which his marriage was never able to recover. Looking at it now, he saw that one of the biggest differences was Sharon's friendship. While he had loved his wife, he'd never had the level of friendship he had with Sharon. Funny, his wife-and they weren't the deep friends like he had been with Sharon. He would have thought his ex-wife would have been his best friend when he was tearing their lives apart, but no. She'd been his wife, just his wife, and now decades later, he saw how important a true relationship was. It was built on so much more than just loving a person. You could love anybody, but you couldn't necessarily be best friends with anyone, couldn't trust just anyone. Right now, he was working toward just being able to be civil, be friendly with Sharon because he missed that. He missed Sharon. She was trying to worm her way back in, and well, on some level, he was allowing it. He was still guarding his heart because love of his life, Sharon, had broken it, but he was trying to determine if he could let his friend, Sharon, back in.

Now, he didn't confess all that to the team, no way. Provenza would have accused him of being a girl, along with a string of other names. He kept it short-he was trying to be a friend to Sharon because when he'd needed friends, people like Sharon and Provenza had been there for him. He knew about the twins' appointment because Rusty had texted him, asking if there was anyway he could take Sharon. She still couldn't drive, and Rusty had a class. Before Andy could even reply, Rusty texted back a "Nevermind" comment, saying Gus was off and would drive her. It was probably just as well. After the weekend, Andy needed some time away, time to think. It was hard. Those little "vultures" as he'd called them, well, they were sucking him in, and that could be dangerous, very dangerous. Yes, there was a very fine line to walk here. He was painfully aware that he had to keep his feelings for the twins aside from his friendship and feelings toward Sharon. Allowing the lines to blur could end up in disaster.

Andy also hadn't told the team that Sharon had sent him an email that morning. It seems that in lieu of her letter writing now, she was resorting to email. She had explained she hoped he read it, and that since she couldn't come by his house right now, she was going to use email. She even said she preferred putting it on paper, but this would have to do. Andy almost didn't read it, as he opened it, seeing what it was, but like the vultures, he got sucked in. He decided vultures might be too strong of a word and decided to think of another way to describe the twins…maybe ducks following their mom along. He couldn't use cubs-Provenza had used that, but after watching their now, new favorite football team, yeah, maybe the twins were like little ducks. Besides, ducks were cute, and who didn't like ducks?

Andy was greeted with emails Tuesday and Wednesday morning as well. It appeared Sharon was up early and sending these before he even got to work. He hadn't spoken to her since Saturday, that conversation going through his head on a loop. Her emails always had the same start and finish-"I'm so sorry, Andy. I love you." They looked a lot like her letters. The change he was seeing with the emails was in regards to some of its content. She'd never mentioned anything about the babies before they were born, that is, in actually speaking about them. Sure, they were at the center of this mess, but she'd in the past, kept everything about what she'd done to Andy and how she knew he would never forgive her. She hadn't mentioned her pregnancy, not once with him. The tone of her emails had changed. She seemed happier, more at peace with things. Every single email she continued to detail how she'd trashed the best thing in her life, continued to apologize for her mistakes, but overall, they weren't so sad. They were full of facts and even some happiness. Each email told him something about the babies, and she even said that she wasn't trying to push the twins on him. She was simply including them, as part of her life, part of what she was doing. On some level, Sharon was bored at home and had nothing else to tell him, well, except for how bad the reality tv shows were that she was stuck at home watching, but Andy found himself enjoying the updates. Andy decided he liked her switch to email, not that he wasn't a fan of letters, but she'd also started adding an attachment to each email, calling it the "Picture of the Day," and of course, each email had some picture of one or both of the twins. The first few days, most of the pictures she was excited to get them with their eyes open, and she promised they would get more "exciting" as the twins started to actually do more things.

No, this Sharon, this was his friend, Sharon. She started writing more, opening up more like they always used to be able to talk. He knew she was trying hard to make things up to him, if that was even possible? However, he felt like he was at a sort of crossroads-did he proceed with caution regarding his friendship with Sharon, or did he go over and once and for all, let her have it and be done?

"Ahh, hey guys!" he heard in the middle of the afternoon on Wednseday. Andy looked up to the souce of the interruption-Julio. "Check your emails. Captain sent us all a picture of the babies, with a thank you for the stroller."

"Ohh, they are adorable!" Amy squealed, and similar sentiments ran out around the room as everyone opened their emails. Andy checked his; he didn't have an email, so he walked up to look over Wes' shoulder at his.

"Didn't you get one, Lieuteant?" Wes asked.

Andy shook his head, sighing, "No, that's okay."

Provenza, who was walking through the room toward the coffee, "Well, you didn't sign the card, so why would she send it to you? You huffed off when we signed the card."

Andy, getting agitated, gritted his teeth, "I told you which one to get!"

Provenza waved him off, but Amy jumped in, "I'm glad you said she wanted the blue one. I would have ordered the red. I thought she liked red," Amy added.

Andy sighed and mumbled, "Sometimes, things can't be unseen."

Eyebrows were raised, as everyone tried to figure that out. Andy sighed as he sat back down at his computer, and he got back to work. Well, maybe he didn't need the picture. He'd put the thing together, and besides, she'd sent him a picture of the babies that morning. It had been a good one too-they were both asleep in the bouncy seats, which appeared to be on a tile floor-maybe the bathroom-but they were holding hands. He'd added it to his new computer file he'd code named "Ducks."

An hour or so later, the team was packing up for the day, and Andy saw he had a couple of outstanding emails. When he clicked on them, he found one Sharon had sent about 10 minutes before that.

"Andy-I sent the team all a thanks for the stroller. I didn't think you'd want me to add onto the group email a line thanking you for putting it together, but thank you. It's already been a lifesaver. I used it yesterday when I took Faith and Tom to their appointment. I think I'm going to start walking in the evenings with it, just around the block for now so I don't overdo it, but I wanted you to know your help with everything-it's meant so much. I hope we can build our friendship again. I miss it. -Sharon"

Andy sighed, as he rubbed his face, what was it with this woman? He should be hating her, but he couldn't. He had tried, and he had been so angry with her for so long, but all of a sudden, he felt like that anger was just gone. He'd have to reflect on that more.

* * *

Sharon's sense of surrounding was good, and she knew she was being followed. It was of great relief to her when she could put a name to her stalker. She stopped walking, turned, and waited for him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, "I can get a restraining order for stalking," she added. She drew a small smile, knowing that if Andy had found her, he'd at least read her last email, and maybe, just maybe he'd read the others.

He shrugged, "Report on the news said the Assistant Police Chief was out for a walk-even said she was pushing a stroller with two babies. It sounded like some sort of April Fool's joke because no assistant chief with that much seniority-well, really what I mean to say is no one that old-would be out for a walk with newborn twins. Plus, most assistant chiefs I have known have been ugly old guys, so I volunteered to check it out. I figured some crazy lady, recently out of the hospital, calling herself the assistant chief, was overdoing it by walking too much."

Sharon grinned. Oh, it felt nice to smile, and it felt even better to listen to Andy's corny jokes, "Well, who is to say I'm not doing undercover work? You know, I could be posing as a sleep-deprived new mother. That would be a good cover," she said as they turned the corner, "but I can assure you that she-whether it be the assistant chief or the sleep-deprived mom, can handle a simple walk."

Andy nodded. He could express his worry, but he knew he had to stop talking after that. Sharon wasn't his to worry about now.

"Tell me about your day," Sharon offered as she put Faith's pacifier back in. The twins were lingering between sleep and awake.

So, Andy recounted his day, and Sharon asked him more questions. It felt good to talk, even if it was mundane stuff.

The two, well the four, ended up walking around Sharon's block three times that night. It seemed like whenever they got back to her building, they were still talking and not ready to go inside. They only ended the walk when Tom started crying.

"Tom, big guy-so impatient," Andy chuckled.

"He's hungry," Sharon smiled, "I should go up."

"I need to get going," he finished. "Sharon, it was nice to just talk. Will you be okay getting upstairs?"

"Of course," Sharon nodded, "Good night, Andy," she said as she'd said week after week before the twins had arrived.

"Night, Sharon," which sounded so normal, but he hadn't said that to her in a long time. Even after he'd been at the condo helping, he'd always just let himself out, so she was glad for once to hear that again.

September passed in much of a blur. The babies were growing like crazy, and they started to get into a better routine. It wasn't perfect, and Sharon spent hours up each night feeding them, but she and the babies were adjusting to their new normal. She was cleared to drive, which helped quite a bit. Sharon found going to the grocery store was an epic event; she needed the stroller just to shop, but with that, she didn't have much place for food. Thank goodness she wasn't feeding a whole household.

Ricky and Emily came to visit, which created tight living quarters at the condo. Emily stayed with Sharon while Ricky camped out with Rusty in his dorm room. It was a short weekend; neither Ricky nor Emily had much time off, but they had wanted to see Sharon and their new siblings. Sharon took a lot of pictures that weekend, still in disbelief she had five children. Ricky and Emily were both still frustrated with Sharon for ruining things with Andy. Sharon had been tight-lipped about his help; it was easier than trying to explain he'd been a good friend to her. Saturday night of their visit, she sent the three out to the movies, explaining that they needed some time together too, while she was just going to feed the babies and get them bathed. They did go out, but what Sharon didn't know is that all three had wanted to have dinner with Andy.

Andy had kept up his short visits to the condo throughout September. He was caught in a case a few times and couldn't stop by, but otherwise, he came by for Friday nights, Saturday college football, and now, he'd added Wednesday walks. After that first time walking with Sharon and the twins, he realized he just enjoyed walking and talking. It was easy and simple, no strings attached. Plus, he missed seeing her at work, and it was a good break in the middle of the week, a break from dealing with the dirt bags of the world.

During Ricky and Emily's visit, Rusty setup dinner with Andy, and that is how late in September, they found themselves at Andy's house. The trio had offered to go to dinner, but he'd suggested they come over for a home cooked meal.

" Andy, we know you and Rusty talk a lot, but we are still having trouble dealing with Mom's behavior. She ruined you guys, the best thing she's ever had going," Emily sighed.

"Listen, I'm not going to sit here and bad mouth your mom," he sighed. "I'm happy you guys wanted to come over, but anything dealing with your mom's relationship with me, well, I'm not going to talk about it. That's just not fair to her."

The three enjoyed seeing Andy, even if he didn't want to talk about things. He was hurting; they could all see that.

"Did you see that rock he had sitting on his kitchen counter?" Ricky asked when they left, "Rusty, what's up with that?"

Rusty frowned, "That's the ring he tried to give Sharon now a year ago, when she turned him down. He's had it there ever since. Anytime I've been there, the thing is just sitting there-he said a reminder of what he lost. It's kind of sad."

"Wow, I had no idea," Ricky sighed, "Mom," he shook his head, "When we could be having our own kids, she's starting over. I can't believe she's going to do this on her own again."

"People make their lot in life, Ricky," Emily pointed out, and it's not our job to swoop in and do it for her. "Andy still cares about her. I think he'll be around, now in what capacity, I don't know, but he cares. He had several pictures of the twins in the house."

"I didn't see any," Ricky looked at her.

"Well, I looked. I didn't see the same old ones with Mom, but he had one of the twins on his fridge, and he had one by his chair," Emily offered. "Look, she messed up, and she has to deal with it. We've had this same type of conversation about Dad. I'm just shocked it's Mom this time," she added, still upset about the things that had transpired over the last year.

"He's still got a picture of Sharon," Rusty said as he drove the car. The two looked at him in a 'do tell' glance, "What? He does. I'm there more than you. It's next to his bed, but I know it was gone for awhile."

The kids' visit had been a nice distraction for Sharon. She was starting to go stir crazy, not that she didn't love her new babies, but she was used to working and missed it. She set her return to work for October 20. That meant her days were about to get crazier; the twins would be in the department day care, and she'd have to get two babies fed and dressed, along with herself, and out the door by 7:00. It could prove to be interesting.

In an attempt to try her timing, Sharon decided she would do two practice run days. The twins could go to daycare, and she could spend a couple hours running errands, trying to get everything ready for her return to work. Without anyone else at home, she was patting herself on the back for coming up with the idea.

So, that Thursday, Sharon started her trial run for work on Monday. She was going to do this-get everyone ready and out the door by 7:00 so she could drop off the twins and get into her office by 8:00. Two days to do this-Thursday and Friday before the real deal on Monday.

So, on that Thursday morning, Sharon got up at 5:00. Yes, it was early, but she wasn't sure how long it would take. She had showered the night before, but she still had to dress, do her makeup, hair, and attempt to eat something, although she was in the habit of skipping meals right now. She knew it wasn't good for her, but she was determined to get into at least a few of her outfits. IT seemed that twin baby weight at 50 didn't want to budge. Her weight was nowhere near what it had once been. She got out of the house at 7:25. Frustrated with herself, she knew she'd have to adjust the next morning. She got the twins checked into daycare and realized that she was leaving them for the first time.

"It will be okay, Chief," the worker told her, "Relax, this is normal for first-time moms."

Sharon chuckled, "Well, that's probably true, but it shouldn't be normal when they are your number four and five kids."

"It's never easy, Chief. Now, go, we'll see you in awhile," she smiled.

Sharon stopped by her office to let everyone know about her return. She'd been emailing them but it felt good to check in. As she was leaving, she ran into Julio.

"Hi Ma'am," he smiled brightly. "Are you back? I thought it was Monday."

"Hi Julio," she smiled, "It is Monday. Today's a trial run. I'm off to run errands."

"Enjoy your break for now, Ma'am," Julio smiled. "You should stop by and say hello. Everyone would love to see you."

"Maybe I will, Julio. Maybe I'll bring the twins by when I pick them up," she said.

Julio's eyes lit up, "Please do, Ma'am. We haven't seen them in a few weeks."

"They are growing everyday, gaining weight like crazy, and eating all the time," she smiled, "and on that note, I'm going to get out of here. I have a very narrow window."

"Stop by later. We haven't caught a case yet today," Julio waved.

So, after her morning of errands, Sharon did stop by. She collected the babies and took the stroller to Major Crimes. She needed that stroller; it was too heavy to carry both car seats and everything else she needed for her day.

"Oh! Look who is here!" Amy exclaimed as Sharon came into sight.

"Hello everyone," she waved, "I was in the building and wanted to stop by and say hello."

Andy was on the phone when Sharon walked in, so while everyone was picking up the babies and carrying them around, he was finishing his call. He'd glanced in Sharon's direction, but that had been it. He hadn't made eye contact. Things with them were civil, and they were talking. That was about it. The trust wasn't there, not like it had been, and things were still a bit awkward. They spent a lot of their Saturdays just watching the game, being in the same room, eating a lunch, feeding the babies, but never really diving into conversation. Their few conversations had been reserved for their Wednesday walks, but even then, usually one or both babies seemed to interrupt any actual conversation. Sharon had continued her daily emails, and the "Duck" file was growing. It was like the two were still dancing around the subject at hand, both afraid to make another mistake. Andy, afraid to let Sharon in-in any way, and Sharon, knowing she'd hurt Andy so badly-not wanting to hurt him again.

"Captain, I mean, Chief, got a minute I can update you?" Provenza asked as Sharon stood in a group talking. Andy was still on the phone.

"Of course," she smiled, "I never thought I would be so excited about one of your updates, Lieutenant," she smirked as everyone started chuckling. Andy waved to her over his head as she walked by, still on his phone. Provenza closed the door so the two could talk. Julio and Buzz currently had the babies.

Andy finished his call and stretched; it had been a long call. He walked over to the twins. Truth be told, he wanted desperately to hold them, but he didn't want to show that. He'd not said anything to the team about Sharon since that afternoon the first week she'd been home. He had told them at that time, he was being a friend, but he wasn't going to get into a relationship with Sharon. Since then, he'd not said anything, and the team suspected the two were cordial but nothing else, which was mostly true. They didn't know he saw her several times a week, but to him, he was helping her a lot with the babies-something a friend did. The team knew just how badly things had gotten for the two; the two babies they were currently holding were proof of that, so they had backed off. At one point, well over a year ago, they would have not thought anything could break up their Captain and Lieutenant, that they were each other's other half, but now, well, they knew Sharon had hurt Andy badly, so they didn't want to encourage anything that would continue to create a mess. That didn't mean they wouldn't fish for details IF there were details, but they weren't going to push.

Andy motioned for Buzz to hand over Tom, rolling his eyes when Buzz asked, "Are you sure you want to hold one of the Captain's babies, Lieutenant?"

"I think I can handle it, Buzz," he sighed. He must have been doing a better job than he thought. He hadn't mentioned a word to the team about seeing the twins on a somewhat regular basis. He accepted Tom easily, and he went back and sat down in his chair. He propped his feet up and put Tom on his chest. He was comfortable, and Tom snuggled in like he normally did. The other stopped to watch, while Amy now had hold of Faith. No one seemed to have either baby more than a couple minutes., well, except now for Andy.

Andy sat there, perfectly content, patting Tom's back, with his feet up, while he continued to check email with his free hand, like multitasking while holding an infant was a normal occurrence for him. The others just watched, interested, noting that he looked like he was pretty good at this.

"Gosh, they are getting so big," Amy commented, "I can't believe how much she's changed. Man, she looks like the Captain," Amy commented.

"Wonder how much they weight now?" Tao, the medical guru said out loud, "Well, I'll look up the average weights for preemies to see about what they should weigh by now," he said as he walked to his computer.

Not looking at the team and not realizing he was even really jumping into this conversation, Andy just added, "Faith's bigger. She weighs 11 lbs. 2 oz. while pipsqueak over here weighed in at 10 lbs. even," he said causally, still looking at his computer. He hadn't realized the amount of information, or the detailed information, he had just given out.

The rest of the team just stared at him, and only when he realized how quiet the room was, did he look up, "What?" he said.

His eyes moved from person to person until it sunk in. The only way he could know their weights is if he was talking to Sharon on a regular basis.

"Oh, well," he gestured, trying to think of something, but thankfully for him, the phone rang. Without jostling Tom too much, he answered the phone. The rest of the team just shared knowing looks and all chuckled.

Sharon and Provenza came out soon after, finishing up their conversation. Andy was still on the phone, juggling it with his shoulder while taking a note. He still had Tom on him, making it all look easy. The looks the others shared noted that he looked pretty comfortable with Tom. Provenza glanced at Andy holding Tom and talking on the phone, and with Sharon being able to hear, shook his head and mumbled, "Idiot." Sharon did a double take, seeing Tom on Andy's chest while he was reclined in his seat on his phone.

"Chief, we were just talking about how big they are getting!" Amy exclaimed.

"So, what do they weight now, Chief?" Wes asked, making eye contact with Julio who was grinning and nodding.

"Well, let's see, Faith was bigger when she was born and still is. She is 11 lbs. 2 oz. Tom's still the little pipsqueak at 10 lbs. even," she commented.

The team had to almost look away for fear of busting out in laughter. It was almost like a recording from what Andy had told them down to "pipsqueak."

"Captain, we need to fatten that kid up," Provenza noted. "Smaller than his little sister," he sighed. The group chuckled. Andy was still on the phone, but attention was drawn toward him when Tom started to cry. The team watched as Sharon moved over and easily transferred Tom from Andy to herself. The ease was noted by everyone.

"Well, we should get going. Seems as if Tom is hungry. Lieutenant, maybe he's listening to your eating suggestion," she smiled.

"Well, get his big brother Rusty to take him for a burger and fries, as soon as he gets some teeth," he grumbled. Sharon smiled.

"So, Captain," Buzz called attention to her, "Is it Tom or Thomas? I thought you said you liked Thomas."

Sharon, trying to come up with an answer, "Well, Tom's grown on me."


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you again for the amazing feedback on this big mess :) Here's the next chapter and well...yeah.**

She would never be on time again. Oh, how was it possible for two tiny humans to wreak havoc on your schedule? How was she getting up at 4:30 in the morning and still not out the door at 7:00? She would have to get better at this. She couldn't be late for work like this. As Sharon sat in the diner down the street from work, she sighed, dunking her tea bag. It was now only 9:00 in the morning, and she was exhausted. She'd done her second run-through this morning, to get the kids to work late-again. Somehow, even though she'd gotten up a half hour earlier, she'd left her house at the exact same time. Didn't matter because technically she would have been late to work again. Thank goodness this wasn't an actual workday for her. Sharon had errands to run, but she was so exhausted, she was here, in the diner, getting some food. She'd gotten up at 4:30, arrived late to work, and she still hadn't eaten. How was that possible? There were days she and the team had solved murders in less time, yet she was incapable of getting two infants out the door. She was a failure-an assistant police chief would couldn't control her own "squad." Well, at least food would help, she hoped. Maybe the diner wouldn't mind if she took a nap here too…

"Sharon?" she almost jumped out of her skin, as she felt Andy's hand on her shoulder. Wow, she must have been in some sort of sitting upright but asleep phase because she hadn't heard him at all. Andy sensed her agitation and patted her shoulder, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I called your name twice."

"It's fine," she waved up at him, as he looked at her, a note of worry on his face.

"Sharon, did you get any sleep last night?" he asked, now moving around so he was completely facing her. He'd been almost at her side when he'd touched her shoulder.

Sharon sighed, "Sort of. The twins did pretty well, actually. I just am trying to get my timing down for the morning, and well, it's not working. I got up at 4:30, and we still arrived late. Granted, I'm not technically working, but it's frustrating to know that I would have been late to work."

Andy nodded, as without asking, he slid into the booth across from her, "You look tired. You should go home and take a nap before you have to get the twins at daycare. They're fine there," he encouraged.

"I can't just leave them there. They are-" she started to say, but he interrupted.

"They're what? Fed, held, burped, changed, taken care of? Sharon, I know you are their mother, but the daycare at work will take good care of them. You're going to have to let them do their job so you are able to do yours. That's the choice you made-to work and use the daycare, so you need to be content with that."

Sharon nodded, knowing Andy's advice was good, "Thank you," she nodded, "Crazy, that after everything, I don't want to let them go now," she shrugged.

Andy nodded, "Well, you're a good mom-always have been."

"Just lousy with relationships," she sighed, giving him a sad smile. "Andy, can I ask you something? You don't have to answer, but this question has been bugging me for a long time."

"Of course, Sharon. What is it?" he asked.

Sharon drew a deep breath as she looked up, getting strength to proceed, "I've hesitated to ask because I don't want you to be upset with me. When I was in the hospital, what was going on with you? What was in your mind? I felt like you were still so angry with me, yet I came home to that beautiful nursery. You spent thousands of dollars to help me, and yet, you couldn't even speak to me. I've spent the last few weeks trying to process it, trying to figure out everything. I don't know-I'm rambling, but I just have tried to understand what was going through your head."

Andy put his head down and rubbed his forehead. He sighed.

"Andy, it's okay. I know it digs up old wounds-wounds I created. I told you that you didn't have to answer," Sharon told him again.

Andy's eyes met hers, and she could see the pain in them, "No," he nodded, "you probably need to hear this."

"Listen, if you don't have time-I mean, I know you're working," she added.

Andy chuckled, "You know, Julio thought we all needed coffee from here and voluntold me to come and get it. Seems we are out in the Break Room. Our Assistant Chief, she always keeps us well stocked, but she's been on a vacation for awhile," he winked.

"A vacation?" she deadpanned. "No."

Andy raised his hand, "I know, I know. Believe me, I know, but to get back to your question, it's not easy to explain," he shook his head.

"I'd like to hear it if you can try to explain," she said softly. "If you have the time. Seems as since I'm the one who destroyed us, the least I can do is hear you out," she shrugged.

"Sharon, I saw you at the hospital that night," he started. Sharon gave him a surprised glance but allowed him to continue. "I honestly don't know how I ended up there," he sighed again. "I'd spent the evening with Rusty and Gus at dinner. You know Rusty-he was so nervous to not slip up and say anything about you. I didn't ask either. He'd already called me earlier that day to tell me you'd had the twins, and all I could say to him was 'Thanks for letting me know.' So, after dinner, I knew the boys were going to see you, and I planned to just go home. I was in such a bad place then. Sadly, where I am now is better, but that doesn't make where I am now good," he paused. Sharon just sat. She knew Andy well enough to let him get this out.

"I went to a meeting, where all I remember sharing was 'The love of my life just gave birth to another man's children.' I said that over and over, in disbelief. I thought the meeting would help, but it didn't. I mean, I guess it did. I didn't drink, but it didn't help me. Those words kept circling in my head," he sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. He knew Sharon was crying, but he kept on. He needed to get this out, "So, I drove to the beach, the same beach we used to love walking on. That almost made it worse-the pain of walking there without you, remembering all the talks, hopes, dreams, holding you-yeah, that wasn't a good idea. I started home, and somehow, I found myself sitting in the parking lot of the hospital. At this point it was late-maybe 10 or so. I honestly don't remember. The flower shop there was inside the door, and crazy enough, it was open until midnight. I don't know what possessed me to get you flowers, but as I walked by it, there they sat-the lilies staring back at me. I even had the girl switch out the ribbons, knowing you aren't a huge fan of pink," he chuckled. "All the while, I am thinking, 'I'm taking flowers to a woman who had another man's babies.' I almost didn't bring them upstairs, but I did. You'll hate this part-I flashed my badge to see you, telling the nurse I'd come from work and all-told her we worked together. Even saying that felt wrong-it didn't seem to describe us at all. We work together," he let out a grunt, "sounds so impersonal. You were sleeping, so I just about waked out-almost took the flowers with me too. I didn't want to see the kids; the pain was just too much, but when I was standing there, looking down at you sleeping, I looked over and could tell Faith was awake. Her little legs were just kicking, but she wasn't crying. She was just taking in her new world. Oh, Sharon, she looked just like you, still does," he smiled. "I saw her right away in you, even down to her hair. It was almost like a mini-Sharon was there, one who hadn't broken my heart. I saw with her for a few minutes, and oh, that was the hardest thing, putting her back in her little bed. Then, I looked at Tom. He was still sleeping, but looking at him, was so very, very hard. I didn't see any of you in his features, and that broke me. I knew if I didn't see you-didn't see Emily or Ricky-that if I didn't see any of that-I was looking at him, the face I still can't get out of my head," Andy sighed again. "Sharon, when I saw Tom, I almost ran out of the room. It was just too hard. The nurse walked in and said they were going to take the twins to the nursery for awhile to let you rest and asked if I wanted to walk along with her. She grabbed Faith's little bed, leaving me to push Tom's. Oh, that was hard, looking at him, pushing him through those hallways. When we got to the nursery, she asked if I'd been able to hold the babies, and I told her I was fine; I'd held Faith. Without asking, she just all of a sudden plopped Tom in my arms and told me to sit and rock with him. Sharon, something happened there. I sat with him for almost an hour, just staring into his face. Something changed in me, and I knew I couldn't be angry with him. I didn't break down in the nursery, but I did when I got to my car. I think I sat in the parking lot for another 30 minutes, trying to figure everything out. It's hard to figure out such a mess when you don't know the answer. It was at least 3:00 when I got home that night. I didn't sleep a wink. After I left you there, all I could think about were those two sets of eyes, looking at me with all that wonder. Yeah, I know they could barely focus their eyes at that point, but something there just hit me. Sharon, I didn't know what I could accept from you-a working relationship or even friendship, but I knew I had to do something good for those babies. That's why I got all the nursery setup. I took a personal day Tuesday; Provenza gave me an earful saying he couldn't believe I was going to do all that, but the old coot stopped by your place after work to help me. I did all my research all morning, and then I spent the afternoon shopping. I remembered you needed another swing and bouncy seat-that part was easy. When I looked at the cribs, only one said 'Sharon' to me. It was probably the color, but still, that was easy. I just had to drive to two different stores to get all the pieces. Provenza came by that night, and we spent all evening, until well past midnight putting the stupid stuff together. He has always been a true friend. He complained all night, finally saying it was better than hauling me out of a bar."

"Andy, I-"Sharon started to say finally, but Andy held up his hand.

"There's one more thing-I couldn't bring myself to see you all week because I knew my emotions would get in the way. Right then, I needed my judgement not to be ruled by emotion. Provenza kept me informed, via Rusty. I knew what was going on every step of the way, even if I couldn't be there. I know that may have hurt you; that wasn't my intent, but I couldn't do it. Then, Friday rolled around, and I almost didn't come over, but as soon as I let myself into your condo, I was glad I had. I know you probably hated the way you looked and all, but when I saw you passed out there, I saw a true mom-true love for her family. It really touched me, allowed me to see you in a different light, allowed me not to paint you as some homewrecking monster, that, let's face it, I probably wanted to picture you as. Faith started squirming," he shook his head, "Sweet little Mini-Sharon there. Holding her was like having a piece of you. I knew I didn't want her to wake you, and well, you are short places to sack out with babies, so that's how I ended up in your room. I felt like I had you close to me again, if that's possible. She looks so much like you, Sharon. I just love that little girl so much, which is why it's now been so hard for me to even pick her up. That night, it almost struck me that somehow, she was too close to you-maybe because she looks so much like you, but since then, it's been hard to even pick her up. I guess she's a constant reminder of you. Ironically, the next day when I stopped by and Tom started squirming, the last thing I wanted to do was to pick him up. Oh, I was having trouble even looking at him, but then I was reminded of sitting in that nursery at the hospital, holding him. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was to protect him, almost like I could protect him from the dirt bag of a father he had-that by looking like him, he would be anything like him. I know none of that makes sense, but ultimately, it has gotten harder to look at Faith because she's a constant reminder of you, and all I want to do is hold Tom closer, protect him, keep him from being anything like the dirt bag."

Sharon sat there, stunned, speechless, tears running down her face. Andy had let it all out. She understood. In some twisted way of his trying to express everything, it actually did make sense to her.

"Sharon, I'll leave you here to think, and I'll get back to work," Andy sighed, picking up her check as he stood to leave.

"You can't leave now," she whispered out sadly.

"What else do you expect me to say, Sharon?" Andy asked, sad and deflated. His confession had taken an emotional toll on him.

"Nothing," Sharon said, "You said it all. I didn't know," she shook her head. "I mean, I hoped you had stopped by, but I didn't know you sat there, you held the twins, you have struggled so much with them. It all makes sense; I didn't know."

Andy nodded, "I know. I have been struggling with all of it. It's been no accident I always hold or feed Tom; I feel like I can protect him, but I feel like if I'm close to Faith, well, she'll have me wrapped around her little finger, and I can't deal with the constant reminder of you-of everything you were to me-of everything we lost."

Sharon bit her lip, "Andy, I am so very, very sorry for destroying us. It will be something I will always wish I could change, could turn back time. Thank you for telling me everything. The last thing I want to do is destroy any chance of any friendship because I dearly miss your friendship. I miss just being around you. In time, I hope this will allow us to work on our friendship. I'm fully aware I'm the one who destroyed us. I will never stop loving my kids, but I realize they may be just too much of a reminder to you. Their every presence shows the whole world just how badly I messed up-how badly I broke you. So, Andy, if you need to walk away from all of this, now I completely understand-I get your thoughts, I get your emotions, and I'm sorry."

Andy nodded and squeezed her shoulder as he stepped away, leaving Sharon for her thoughts, her broken, mangled thoughts.


	16. Chapter 16

It was quiet, well, mostly. The only sound was the noise the babies were making as they were sucking down their bottles. Sharon smiled down at them-such beautiful babies. She chuckled noticing Faith had finished hers first. That kid-she ate almost twice as fast as Tom who seemed to be pretty relaxed and chill. He was content to take his time and almost enjoy his bottle. Faith seemed impatient, always seemed to be in a hurry to finish it. Sharon shifted so she could still feed Tom in her lap and burp Faith at the same time. She had come a long way too; now, taking care of both of them seemed second nature. She remembered those first very awkward days where she was trying to figure out juggling the two of them, where she could barely carry the two of them, and now, well, she was in a nice routine with them. After she finished giving them their last bottle of the evening, she was going to bed. Oh, that stupid 4:30 start this morning. It had done her in. She had the weekend to somewhat recover before she started in at work on Monday. Plus, she knew some of her exhaustion was from listening to Andy at the diner. She'd replayed that conversation in her head over and over. Andy had spoken from the heart, and everything he'd said was true. Faith did look just like her, and she could understand how hard it was to see that. Tom, well, Andy was right. She still didn't see any of herself in Tom, and while he was just a gorgeous little boy, he didn't look like Sharon, and that was something Sharon couldn't change. Sharon sighed, as she continued to feed laid back Tom. Faith was already getting impatient; she'd finished and was ready for whatever was next.

After Sharon and Andy had their heart to heart in the diner, she'd sat there for another hour, finally ordering some food. She needed it. That morning, she didn't do much else but sit in that diner. When she finally left, she ended up picking up the babies and heading home. It had been a long day, and it was just after lunch. She got the babies situated for their nap and sent Andy an email later that afternoon, the standard email. She'd had to resort to the afternoon the last two days due to her early morning attempt to get to work on time. Instead of a picture today, because she suddenly realized just how hurtful it must be to see a daily reminder of the twins pop up, even if they were her kids, she just put a note on the bottom of the email telling him that she was sorry for everything, and that she understood the pain he was feeling. She finished it by saying that she was kidding herself if she thought they could continue to spend Friday nights, their former date nights, hanging out because every Friday night for at least the next 18 years, she'd have two people at home who needed her. She told Andy she'd see him at work on Monday, and that was the now why she sat here late on Friday night in the silence with the babies. She'd texted back and forth with Rusty, and she could tell he was worried about her. He promised to come by over the weekend; he'd been flighty now that he'd moved out, but Sharon knew that was part of growing up. She also knew he was loving being on his own right now, and for that she was really proud.

Sharon checked on Tom's progress, and saw that he was like a snail-slow and steady. She shifted Faith in her lap now, and the girl was busy kicking her legs. Oh, that girl was going to be something, Sharon chuckled watching her. As soon as Tom finished, it was going to be lights out for them.

Keys in the door had her turning. Rusty really didn't need to check on her; she had told him she was fine, and quickly she saw that it wasn't Rusty once again.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Didn't you see my email?" she watched as he put some bags down and walked over to the couch. "Andy, it's almost 10:00. What's going on?"

Andy ignored Sharon's questions and looked down at her feeding the babies, well, really just feeding Tom, "She done?" he asked, noting that Faith was there on her lap.

Sharon, a bit puzzled still, looked at him, trying to figure out what was going on in his head, then pulled herself out of her thoughts, looked down at Faith and back at Andy, "Yes, she's done. I just-"she started to say, but before she could say anything further, Andy scooped her up and disappeared down the hall with her. Sharon just stared down the hall, while Tom continued on with his bottle. Oh, that man. Why couldn't this be any easier? She'd deal with him in a few minutes; if there was ever a time she wished laid back Tom could speed things along, this was it, but for now, she'd let Andy deal with changing Faith.

Tom finished a few minutes later, and Andy had yet to emerge from the nursery. It was pretty quiet back there, so she had no idea if he was still changing her or what. She knew he hadn't snuck out, but she was almost ready to come up with some name for him-swooping in silently and then swooping back out. As she rubbed Tom's back, she walked to the nursery to find out what Andy was doing here.

"Andy, I don't understand what is going on?" she asked and stopped suddenly. Apparently, Andy and Faith were both exhausted. Like that first night home, weeks ago, Faith was asleep on Andy. This time, he was seated in the rocking chair with her, but they were both out for the night. Sharon sighed. This was getting hard on her too. Once she got Tom ready for bed, she put him down and gingerly moved Faith, putting her in her bassinet too. She knew Andy would pay for the sore neck, but she didn't have the heart to wake him. He'd wake up soon enough anyway; the chair was comfortable, but not suited for sleeping.

Sharon walked back into the living room, nothing the bags Andy had brought with him. They were from a store, so she picked them up, not wanting any food to spoil. There wasn't anything that would spoil-there was food, but her favorite pumpkin bread she found wasn't something that would spoil. The other bag had something much larger-what was it? Yellow? Oh, she rolled her eyes and started chuckling. He'd brought two yellow somethings it appeared. She continued to pull out the yellow items, confirming her suspicions-Halloween duck costumes. She closed her eyes and shook her head-he's brought her food and duck costumes for her kids when she'd told him, really, she encouraged him to stay away.


	17. Chapter 17

She didn't know you could smell things when you were dreaming. Smell things? Sharon flew out of bed and panicked. It was 6:30, and she realized she was smelling something. She sighed, shaking her head. She had an idea what was going on.

Sharon walked down the hall, and sure enough, it looked so domestic. Andy was in her kitchen cooking. What made the scene even more domestic was he had both babies in their bouncy seats while cooking. They were just sitting there, on the counter, staring back at him as he worked. Both were awake, kicking and looking around. They normally had been waking up between 5:30 and 6:00, so she wasn't surprised they were up. She was surprised Andy was still here. She hadn't awakened him the night prior when he fell asleep in the rocking chair, and after trying to sit up and wait for him to wake up, she'd finally had to give up and go to bed. She'd left a note on top of his gun and badge, which he'd left on the table at the front door, a note thanking him for coming over and for the things he'd brought. She'd concluded it with she was hoping they could continue to work on their friendship.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, as she leaned over and kissed each baby in their bouncy seat. They were in fresh clothes, empty bottles next to them, and looked happy.

Andy turned and watched her smiling at the babies, "You ask that a lot."

Sharon rolled her eyes and went to the coffee pot; he'd already made coffee. One nice thing about knowing each other so well from years' past, was that they knew all of each other's food preferences.

"Well, you seem to be here a lot, so…" she fired back. If he was going to be elusive, she could too.

Andy put the spatula down and turned. He was making eggs and had found some bacon for her. He knew Sharon loved bacon, even though she rarely made it. He also knew she rarely made it because Andy didn't eat it, "Those two needed their Halloween costumes, and when I got home from work last night-which I got stuck at work longer than I wanted, the box was waiting for me."

Sharon rolled her eyes again, this time right in front of Andy so he could see her, "Right. Because two infants needed Halloween costumes NOW, late last night, when it's still days until Halloween-a Halloween they will be too young to remember and without the ability to chew solid foods, they will be unable to enjoy any sweets from the day," she said as she crossed her arms at him. She could fire back just as easily as he could.

He shrugged, "It's Halloween. Kids wear costumes. Plus, I needed to make sure they were going to fit. Couldn't have the Assistant Chief's kids in the Halloween day care parade without costumes or with costumes that didn't fit," as he turned back to the stove. "I mean, what would people say, Sharon? You with your class and style-can't have your kids looking poorly on Halloween."

Sharon scowled at him. That man! She decided to busy herself with making some toast to go along with their meal.

"Well, if you must know, the real reason I stopped by was to talk to these two," he turned slightly, pointing between the twins. "They needed a little chat about making their mom late for work. This whole twin thing of ganging up on you, yeah, I told them to knock it off."

Sharon braced her hands on the counter and started laughing. It felt good to laugh, and she just let herself enjoy the moment. She turned back to look at the babies, both still awake and kicking away while the little music from their bouncy seats continued to play.

"How'd that chat work out for you?" she asked.

Andy shook his head and pointed at Faith, "You're going to have issues with her. She's the ringleader, the instigator. Impatient one she is. I'm convinced she's just dragging Tom along with her. Vibe I got, Tom would just assume get some sleep-here, daycare, wherever, but that one," he pointed at Faith again, "well, she's already determined to make you late. Not even doing hair and makeup yet, and she's the one who's going to be the late problem all the time."

"I think you might be onto something," Sharon nodded, "I'll have to think of a proper punishment for her when she makes me late," she grinned down at Tom who was making silly faces.

"Like mother, like daughter," Andy muttered, shaking his head.

The room settled in silence for a couple of minutes while the two finished fixing the food. Andy dished out two plates and sat down, expecting Sharon to do the same. She was still trying to gauge his mood right now. It seemed much different than his confession from yesterday.

"Andy, why did you stay? I know that chair wasn't comfortable. I'm sorry I didn't wake you, but I really thought you'd take a short nap and wake up."

"It's not a big deal," he shrugged.

Sharon raised her eyebrows, "Not a big deal? Believe me, I know it's not for sleeping, and you're older than I am."

Andy brushed that off, "It was Friday night. We always hang out on Friday nights," he shrugged.

Sharon almost glared at him, but she wasn't mad, "I told you to go home. I know this isn't easy."

"Just because something isn't easy doesn't mean you don't try," he said simply. "Yesterday, you asked me to explain things. I did. I explained what was going on in my head, but that doesn't mean I just give up. I'm still a work in progress," he shrugged and continued eating.

Sharon nodded, "You didn't have to sleep in the chair."

"You needed a break last night. I could see it on your face. You needed some sleep. Those two," he nodded toward the bouncy seats, "plot in their sleep ways to frazzle dear old mom-which is why I camped out in their room-to stop the plotting, and well, you needed a break last night. One bad night of sleep isn't going to do me in."

Sharon, noting that Andy didn't want any further praise for helping, changed the course of the conversation. After years of knowing Andy, she knew when to lighten the subject, "So, I have noticed that when you and the twins talk, it's always dear OLD mom. What's going on with that?"

Andy smiled even with his head bent down. Sharon knew that had worked. He thought a moment before responding; Sharon was good at sarcasm, and he always tried to be even better.

"Well, I mean, you are old. I think they're jealous other daycare moms are so much younger. They don't want to have their high school graduation parties at the nursing home, at least that's what they've told me," he shrugged as he caught her eye and winked.

Sharon closed her eyes and shook her head. Andy just said quietly, "You had to ask."

The two continued to eat, listening to the sounds the babies were making and chuckling at that.

"Thank you for breakfast and taking care of them," she replied. The extra sleep really helped. I feel much better."

"Good," he said standing to clear their plates. "My little chat with these two," he indicated pointing at the twins, "should help too. They won't be making you late for work. If Faith does-because let's be honest, as I said earlier, she's the ringleader, you let me know, and I'll have another talk with her."

Sharon smiled as she chuckled, picking up both babies, "I can do that, but I'm not so sure why you are confident she'll listen to you?"

"Well, she's going to have to listen eventually-even if she is stubborn," he said. "Like anyone else, I'm not going to give up on her."


	18. Chapter 18

**So, you won't need tissues for this chapter. Remember how I said this story is a combination of every story suggestion I had been given? Well, this chapter mixes in one idea slightly. Thanks for the amazing comments. It means a lot! Enjoy!**

"Hey, did you guys see this memo the Chief sent out?" Julio asked, looking around the semi-quiet Murder Room. It was Friday, and Sharon had been back at work all week. More importantly, at least to Sharon, she'd been on time all week. She had gotten settled in her job pretty easily once again, finally feeling like she was back. She'd been in the role prior to her pregnancy, but she'd felt like she was in a fog then. Now, babies here, situated in daycare, she was back and feeling almost normal. Things with Andy weren't perfect by any means, but they seemed to have gotten all the hurt out and were maybe moving on. It still felt like they were dancing around a lot, but he was trying, and she was doing anything she could to make things better between the two.

"What memo?" Provenza said. Provenza missed sitting with the team in the main room. He wasn't a huge fan of his new office, Sharon's old office. Sure, it was fine, but he had discovered that if he was in there, he missed all the chatter and banter out here. He had a different leadership style than Sharon, more of a "one of the guys" type, but the team was functioning as it always had been. They all respected Provenza because he'd been a great detective for a long time.

"Well, Sir, you know if you sat at your desk sometimes, you might see it," Julio commented to Provenza who had taken up his old desk chair for the time being to hang with the group. The team chuckled and Provenza scowled at Julio.

"Watch it," he pointed to him, "or you'll be digging through archives for weeks."

"I'm looking at it now," Mike jumped in. "Oh, do we really have to go to this thing?"

All of them were now curious and while they could have opened their own emails, it was easier to ask.

"Will somebody tell me what it is?" Provenza asked.

"Sir, it's some Big Wig social thing Chief Pope has setup for some donors coming to town. Looks like a casual type of barbeque they are calling their "Be Thankful" campaign here with Thanksgiving a month away. Bringing in some donors to do a meet and greet, and the Chief's email says we are all supposed to attend. It's the second week of November," Julio explained.

"Why does she have to drag us down with her? We're not her team anymore!" Provenza complained. "Flynn! What is this thing?"

Andy looked up at all the faces looking in his direction. He threw up his hands, "Why are you looking at me? Beats me. This is the first I'm hearing about it. I'm looking at it now."

"Well, is anyone going to go?" Buzz asked, "Says she'd like us to attend and mingle. Not all the departments were invited, just some of the elite groups."

"Great," Provenza threw up his hands, "that's code for all of her former departments. Just what I want to do-hang out with the IA idiots and big wigs Chief Pope is trying to impress."

"It is a barbeque, Sir," Julio grinned, "with a buffet."

"Umm, I'll be going," Wes said as he sort of raised his hand like a kid asking a question in school. All eyes turned to him. Wes was settling in well, but he was still on the steep learning curve with this group, not at all in his detective skills, but keeping up with them regarding their antics, personal lives, and well, overall sense of family.

"You are?" Provenza looked at him. "Why do you say that? You decided that fast? It can't be that good of a barbeque," he chuckled.

"No, um, well, I already knew about it. Chief asked me to go," he said nervously.

Everyone whipped around in their chairs facing him, and finally Andy, who had been trying to just ignore Provenza's banter, turned too.

"She asked you to go?" Provenza said, enunciating each word slowly.

Wes shrugged, "Well, yeah."

"Well, you've got to admit, Wes is a pretty face to have there-better looking than most of us," Julio grinned.

"What do you guys call it-Eye candy?" Sykes added.

Andy stood, trying not to look like he jumped to his feet and walked slowly toward Wes, "Your saying Sharon-the Chief-asked you to go?" Everyone else in the room remained quiet watching what was happening. Clearly, this was getting awkward.

When Wes started to nod, Andy spun around and moved quickly through the room, no one even needing to guess his destination. He was out the door instantly, which was good because the team wasn't sure how much longer they could refrain from laughing.

"Did I do okay?" Wes asked when Andy had vacated the room.

"Perfect," Provenza said giving him an 'OK' sign.

"Well, he didn't lie," Amy shrugged, "Chief did ask him to go."

"Yeah, I just didn't point out that she asked me to go, clarifying that even though I wasn't yet technically assigned to Major Crimes, she asked me to go as part of Major Crimes."

The team chuckled, settling in, waiting for Andy whenever he returned.

Andy found his blood boiling with each step he took down the hall. Asked Nolan-what was she doing. The comments from Julio, ""Well, you've got to admit, Wes is a pretty face to have there-better looking than most of us,"-well, that was irritating him right now, not to mention Sykes' 'Eye candy,' comment. No, they weren't together, but if Sharon needed someone to go with her, why hadn't she asked? She'd asked Nolan, really? Andy thought they were past this junk. Maybe Sharon didn't want to ask him thinking it was too awkward-a date, but not a date. Oh, that sounded familiar. It sounded like two years of his life, a life that seemed long ago. What was she thinking?

Andy burst through the outer office, pushing the doors open a bit harder than he'd planned. He waved off Sharon's secretary, "Is she in?" and without waiting for an answer, pushed into her office.

Sharon was working at her desk, and Andy's outburst into her office startled her. She jumped slightly in her seat, looking up at him. Clearly, something was wrong.

"You asked Nolan to go with you to the picnic?" he bellowed.

Oh, she tried not to smile. Provenza must have carried out his part. The thing is Sharon was tired of the awkward friendship. She wanted to get back to a more comfortable friendship, where she wasn't walking on eggshells all the time. Truth, she wanted more than friendship from Andy, but she didn't know if they'd ever get back to that point. Reality, she would settle for him just acting normally around her. After they'd had breakfast last weekend, Andy had gone back to his place, not before gripping her shoulder and telling her to get some rest. That was his first sign of any affection since he had jumped back from her hugging him when he'd put together her stroller. Since then, Sharon had wanted to hug him on several occasions, grip his hand in thanks, anything; Andy was doing so many wonderful things for her, but she'd refrained. She'd remembered Andy's words that he couldn't handle it, so she'd held back each time, and it had been awkward. It was getting more awkward. She wanted to be able to hug him, even reassure him with an arm squeeze-anything to touch him, but she'd held back because he'd asked. Last weekend, when he left and squeezed her shoulder, well, that had reminded her just how much she missed his touch at all. And, she wanted to get back to that. So, she'd enlisted Provenza's help, the team's help, to maybe prod Andy along. No, she didn't tell Provenza every detail, but she said she thought Andy needed a little help in getting back into his normal self around her. Now, she knew Provenza and the team were being protective of Andy, but she also knew the team wanted what was best for him. Sharon just told Provenza she'd like to get back on track with Andy's friendship, and well, she left him with a suggestion for his help if he wanted to see his best friend get back to normal. She just hoped it wasn't going to backfire.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, pretending she had been so busy she hadn't heard his initial question. She looked up at him, and he looked frazzled, almost panicked. He'd quickly crossed the room and was now in front of her desk.

"This," Andy waved, having printed out the picnic flyer, "you sent out this memo to the team, and Nolan says you asked him to go?"

"I did," Sharon shrugged, like it was no big deal, "Why?"

Andy threw his hands up, "Sharon? You have to ask? Why? You're taking him? What, he's so good looking? You need me to stay at your place and be some kind of babysitter? Why? Sharon, I thought things were better than this," he ranted.

Sharon simply sat back in her chair, clasped her fingers, crossed her leg, and watched as he continued to rant. She knew that he need to get his frustration out, and when he was done, he'd get it.

"I mean, come on! I've always taken you to this stuff. For the last few years, I've taken you. Surely, even with how things have been, you know I'd take you," he said exasperated and paused.

"Are you done?" she asked, still sitting the same way, and it was only now that he looked to her. He knew that look. He'd missed something, and she had him.

"Andy, I did ask him to go, but I didn't ask him to go WITH ME. I asked him to go as part of Major Crimes. His official transfer paperwork is still held up in HR, and I extended the invitation to him, making sure he knew he was welcome. Andy, I didn't ask him to go as some kind of date," she stated.

"Oh," he said simply, deflated and sat down in the chair that was right next to him. "Oops" was the only thing that came to his mind, but he couldn't exactly tell her that.

Sharon stared him down, "Andy, I hope you realize by now I wouldn't do something like that to you-not after everything we've been through and all the damage I've caused. Andy, would you like to go with me to the picnic? You seem a little agitated at the idea of my going with anyone else, so are you saying you'd like to go with me?"

And there it was-Sharon's subtle way of putting Andy on the spot, of asking Andy without her having to be forward. She knew he was still working through things, but she also knew he didn't want to be anywhere she wasn't. He was back to coming over every Friday night, for football on Saturdays, walks on Wednesdays. No, if Andy didn't want to be around Sharon, he certainly wasn't making that effort.

"Well, I mean, yeah, if you need to go with someone. You said you expected the team to come, so I guess I have to go anyway. Makes sense if I just pick you up, you know," he shrugged. "I'll help you find someone to watch the twins."

Sharon hummed, "Well, that won't be necessary," she said, letting that hang, making Andy squirm just a tad about his outburst, wonder what might not be necessary, "I mean the watching the twins part. Seems as if Pope wants me to bring the twins. It's a casual barbeque after all, and he said he hasn't had a chance to meet them yet, said they might even soften the donors. He even was so clueless, he said, 'What are they about a month old now?' not even realizing the will be closer to three months old by then."

Sharon saw a hint of a smile there, "Oh, so you're bringing the twins. Well, I can most definitely help you with them, then," Andy added.

"Sounds good, Andy," Sharon smiled. "That will be nice."

Andy nodded, still trying to figure out how he'd stormed in here ready to go rounds with Sharon like the very old days, but he was now sitting here with an outing on the books-an outing with Sharon and the twins to an official function, albeit a casual one.

"Will there be anything else?" Sharon asked in her more professional, work voice, as she glanced at him over the rim of her glasses?"

Andy, still in his haze, looked up and jumped up and backed toward the door, "Oh, ahh, no. I'll just get back to work. See you tonight then?"

Sharon just nodded, as she tried to act casual, looking down at her work, "Well, it is Friday."

As Andy walked back into the Murder Room, he smiled at the thought-an outing with Sharon and the kids. Good. He could do this, but first he had to come up with a way to explain his apparent outburst.

"Ahh, Flynn," Provenza commented as he walked back in. "What was all that?" he motioned to Andy's outburst.

"Just wanting to get to the bottom of that picnic-you know, all the questions and all. Yeah, looks like we all have to be there, you too, Nolan," he shook his head, acting like it was going to be a hardship.

The team had to all look away as to not give themselves away.


	19. Chapter 19

"Flynn, what are the Captain's kids dressing up as for Halloween?" Provenza asked as he walked out of his office. "Julio, you have all the candy ready, right, for the daycare kids coming through the building?"

Andy chuckled; Provenza might act like a grump, but he was a big softie and loved kids. He really loved kids on Halloween.

Playing it nonchalantly, Andy shrugged, "Look Provenza, I don't know how she dressed them," which was technically true. Andy didn't know how she'd dressed them this morning. His duck costumes were just that-costumes, so they had to be put on over their clothes, and the day care workers would take care of that.

"What do you mean? Didn't she tell you?" he asked, and the rest of the office was hanging on every word too. Andy had been very tight lipped about anything; there wasn't much to say. He and Sharon were mending any friendship they had. After his little jealous bout the other day, he realized it still made him sick to his stomach-the thought that he could lose Sharon. While he wasn't ready to voice that yet, he knew he was moving beyond the hatred, the bitter feelings of Sharon, and he was finally getting to the healing phase. Keeping Sharon in his life, well, that was more important to him than anything else right now. Sorting through his feelings and emotions-that was something he'd continue to work on. He didn't know any end result, other than he'd hopefully repair the friendship with Sharon over time.

Sharon happened to walk into the Murder Room at that exact moment. Provenza knew it, not just by the sound of her heels, but as he spoke to Andy, he watched as Andy's expression changed. Provenza had noticed that Andy seemed to be coming out of his dark place, and he was just hopeful the two idiots were working on their issues.

"Ahh, Captain, I mean, Chief," Provenza, shook his head, "we were just talking about the Halloween parade. What are your kids dressed up as this year?"

Sharon raised her eyebrows, taking in the room, "Well, I'm glad to hear the City of Los Angeles is murder-free today that we have enough time to discuss my kids' costumes," she said with a pointed look at Provenza. Julio chuckled, grinning as he looked toward Andy. Andy sat back, arms crossed, and watched Sharon dig at Provenza.

"Well, this parade, it's a big deal. Plus, just didn't want to miss seeing the little ones," he said.

Sharon smiled, "Ahh, yes, because it would be easy to miss twins-especially two-month-old twins in the department day care," she rolled her eyes.

"Well?" he asked again.

"Ducks," she said plainly. "They are both ducks."

"Ducks?" he asked, questioning, and turning to Andy. Sharon followed his gaze.

Andy just threw his hands up, "Mystery solved."

"Where did you come up with ducks? No _Wizard of Oz_ theme or something? Provenza asked, as Andy sat behind him chuckling as he covered his face.

"I don't know," Sharon waved him off, "the costumes, they just flew in," she said with a wave of her hand in a very sarcastic tone. Andy continued to laugh knowing Sharon was halfway telling the truth. The costumes had "just arrived" on her doorstep, and she didn't know where the idea had come from because she hadn't had it, but her explanation was perfect. Ducks could fly after all.

Halloween passed by, and soon the team found it mid-November, and they were heading to the required fun at the picnic. Sharon had taken the babies over to Andy's house on Halloween to help pass out candy. It was the first time she had been there since before they had been born, back when Friday nights had been very hard to sit through, and they were doing anything but communicating. Since then, since really, she and Andy had their heart to heart at the diner, they were steadily improving, so when he asked if she wanted to help him hand out candy, it seemed like a safe venture.

"We can walk the babies around my block dressed up if you want," he offered. Andy was so excited about the duck costumes and really, the actual ducks themselves. He'd retrained himself from scooping the two of them up with the day care parade had gone through the Murder Room. The whole team thought they looked adorable, and they saying what great costumes the captain had found. He'd give her that because anything else meant explaining that he'd ordered the costumes, which meant explaining why he'd ordered the costumes. He was quickly getting wrapped around the twins' tiny little fingers. He couldn't get enough of them, but he was trying to be very careful and not let his love for them interfere with the still awkward maybe friendship he was building with Sharon. It was a tricky line because he knew he didn't want to get burned again, but the idea of Sharon and those kids not in his life, well, that was almost too hard to imagine.

He still had the ring on his counter, Sharon had noticed when she had the babies there that night. There it sat, staring at anyone walking by. The letters were gone from the front door, but she did admit it had been months, so she figured he'd finally thrown them out. Otherwise, his home had looked just like it had been for the last few years she'd been going there-cozy and so Andy. She missed it.

So, now a few weeks after spending Halloween with his little ducks, Andy found himself looking forward to spending the day with them, all of them. He wasn't particularly looking forward to the barbeque, but no one on the team was; the company, though, that he was excited about for the day. This would be the first real outing Sharon was going to have with the babies. She'd done the basics-doctor's appointments, grocery store, and work of course, but she really hadn't taken them out yet. She was more than ready to do so, but the opportunity hadn't presented itself. Being a single working mother, a high ranking one at that, two infant twins didn't provide for the best social life. Andy had told Sharon he'd come and pick her up, but she had waved him off, suggesting she would just meet him there. The event was almost halfway between their homes anyway, and with the car seats, Sharon really needed her car. So, it wasn't like a date or anything, and really, Andy knew a date wasn't something you did with two infants. So, this was an outing, or a friend helping a friend at a required work event.

"Why didn't you just pick her up if you are this antsy?" Provenza asked after he watched Andy check his phone for the hundredth time since they'd arrived 15 minutes ago.

"Because! It was out of the way, and she needed her car anyways," Andy sighed.

"Hasn't stopped you before. Since when don't you go out of your way to do anything for the Captain? You usually jump through hoops even if it means you spend a little more time in the car," Provenza scowled.

"Look, I'm trying to give us both space. I really can't let my emotions get all jumbled," he started to say.

"Hold on," Provenza put up his hand, "Let me find a couch to lie down on so that you, Dr. Phil can explain your troubles away."

"Would you just listen! I need a friendship with her now and maybe nothing more. Look, I can't deal with anything going badly like it did before. I can't handle that rejection, and I've got to keep the kids out of it," he sighed.

Provenza took that explanation as Andy not being interested in the twins, when it was quite the opposite. Unfortunately, Provenza never clarified that.

"Look, just relax. Be yourself around her. That's worked before. She's still in a mess, barely back to work with infants. Do you think she's looking for anything now?"

Andy nodded, "Yeah, you're right. She's not. I can't be the jerk, but I can be the supportive friend with the kids."

"Then do that then," Provenza encouraged, but any further conversation was interrupted by Andy spotting Sharon, walking in with the twins. She'd opted to not bring the stroller in, instead carrying both babies, rather well, in her arms. Sharon had a feeling that wouldn't be the case most of the night; many from work had been asking about them.

Provenza knew Andy was a goner, and that was confirmed when Andy just walked off from their conversation, a bullseye to Sharon.

"Hi," he greeted her walking up and grabbing Tom without even asking. The two always had a way of communicating without speaking, and the ease at which they moved the babies around was one example of that.

"Hi," she replied, a bit preoccupied with the babies. She was balancing her diaper bag too, so Andy helped her right that. "Sorry," she smiled, "I was a bit overzealous thinking I could manage all that."

"You?" he joked, "No," he shook his head, "You could have texted me, and I would have come to help you at the car."

She waved him off with her now free hand, as the two started walking side by side, holding the twins, "I didn't want to bother you, and I managed," she nodded.

"Yeah because asking a friend for help with your small children is such a hardship. Plus, you wouldn't have been interrupting, more like saving me from another annoying conversation with Provenza," he chuckled while rubbing Tom's back. Sharon was doing the same with Faith.

"That lavender is a good color on her," he nodded to Faith, earning a nod from Sharon, "but no surprise. Lavender looks good on her mom."

Sharon was about to respond to Andy when Chief Pope interrupted, "Ahh, Sharon," he walked up, "glad you made it. So, these are the twins, huh?" he asked smiling at Sharon holding Faith. Andy had Tom still, "Flynn, these aren't your kids, are they?"

Andy raised his hand, "Oh, gosh, no!" he said and continued "definitely not, Chief." Sharon turned and glared at him. While he spoke the truth, he didn't need to necessary say it like that. He missed her cues and shock at his overt bluntness. "Just helping the Chief here," he added.

"Well, Sharon, they are cute, that's for sure. Enjoy the barbeque, mingle, and I'll talk to you later, Sharon. Flynn," Pope nodded as he turned to leave.

Sharon was still irritated with Andy's reaction, but she didn't have a second to ask him about it because they were interrupted with a very annoying voice, "Well, well, well, if it isn't my very busy ex-wife and her newest additions," Jack said smugly as he walked up to Sharon and Andy. The two of them both sighed.

"Jack," Sharon said with a sigh, "why are you here?"

"Donors, of course," he added and when he caught the look from both Andy and Sharon as he shrugged, "my firm, not me," he chuckled.

"Jack, I need to mingle, you know, the job and all," Sharon said trying to move beyond him.

Jack stopped her, "Now, now, Sharon. Let me get a look at these two who are keeping you busy. Now, Flynn, the kids didn't tell me you were the Baby Daddy, but I should have guessed. I was led to believe Sharon had some mid-life crisis with another co-worker. Oh wait, that seems to be her style anywhere she works. Sharon makes one mistake after another-takes in Rusty, divorces me, adopts Rusty, does who knows what with you, now these two. One mistake after another," he shook his head.

"That's enough, Jack!" Sharon bellowed before Andy could do so. "Leave my kids alone, all of them."

"Well, my kids' inheritance just went from 50/50 to each getting a fifth, really Sharon? You go from two kids to five? With him?" he announced, spurring her on.

"I'm not the father!" Andy said a bit too loudly, attracting some attention. "Look, I'm helping Sharon out. We all know she needs some help. I'm only a friend, period, nothing more. Not going down that path again," he spit out, all in anger at Jack.

The problem was Sharon heard all of that, and while she appreciated the initial backup with Jack, she heard all the hurt spewing from Andy.

"Excuse me," she nodded to both, "I need to change them both. Jack, stay away from my kids," as she snatched Tom from Andy and walked off leaving Andy there in a face-off with Jack.

"You just can't let her go, can you?" Jack nodded, "She'll make you miserable if she hasn't already. Happened to me," and with that, Jack turned to leave.

Andy stood there now, alone, wondering what had just happened. Well, he knew-he'd let Jack get to him again, and as he thought back over what he'd said, he realized that it came out all wrong. He had only meant to get Jack off his back, and yet he'd made it sound like he was repulsed by Sharon. He had to fix this before it got out of hand.

"Provenza, I checked around. Where's Sharon?" he asked a couple minutes later.

"I thought she was with you? Where's the baby? Didn't I see you with one of the babies earlier?" he asked.

"Yeah, long story, and one that involves Jack," he sighed. He pulled out his phone to send her a text asking where she'd gone.

He didn't get an answer right away, but she finally replied with, "It probably wasn't a good idea to get out with the twins. I'll see you around work."

Andy sighed; that text didn't give him a warm, fuzzy feeling.


	20. Chapter 20

Andy's comments kept replaying themselves in Sharon's head as she spent the afternoon walking the babies near the beach, "I'm only a friend, period, nothing more. Not going down that path again," and she sighed. Yes, being Andy's friend would be fine, but he spewed it out with such anger, she wasn't sure he was even okay with that right now. So, she'd left. She didn't want to have it out with Andy right there again, and she certainly didn't want the rest of the afternoon to be awkward. He'd texted her, and she had replied once she reached the beach. She decided it was best to distance herself a little from him; the two had been through a lot, and before she hurt him anymore, she needed to put some space. His angry words also proved to her that he was having great difficulty with the kids; Pope's comment and Andy's reply of "Gosh no! I'm not the father," stung a bit too. He'd told her at the diner he wasn't sure if he could handle being around Tom and Faith, even saying it was worth trying, but now, she saw that he just couldn't do it. She couldn't blame him. They were a constant, visual reminder of the ugly truth.

Andy had left the barbeque, looking for Sharon, and after he drove to her condo, he found she wasn't there. He tried calling her later, for her not to answer. She didn't answer Sunday either, but only sent a text saying, "I'm fine. I knew this was too much." Andy had plans to go over and sort this out with Sharon, but of course, the team caught a case-a big one at that, early on Sunday. They were trying to track a serial killer, and the case ended up going a week and a half, with very brief interactions with Sharon. Plus, Andy knew how Sharon was in the middle of a case; that was not the time to talk to her, so he'd tried to let her do her job so he could fix things when the case was done. The team worked around the clock, and by the time they had wrapped things up, it was now right at Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, Andy thought. Two years prior, he'd had an awful Thanksgiving with his blood clot. It had been awful and wonderful at the same time because after his surgery, he finally told Sharon he loved her. She loved him too, she had said, and from that point forward, they seemed to be on an amazing journey together. That is, until she took the job after Provenza's wedding, and now, here they were, a year and a half later, and Thanksgiving was upon them. Andy really wanted to see Sharon for Thanksgiving. Nicole had invited him over, which was great, but he still wanted to see Sharon. Andy and Nicole didn't discuss Sharon anymore. Like her almost step-siblings from years' ago, Nicole was disgusted with what Sharon had done, how she'd destroyed Andy, so the subject of Sharon was not brought up. Nicole didn't know Andy had any interaction at all with the twins, and he knew he couldn't talk to her about things now. He was miserable. He missed his best friend, and he missed those two ducks.

Andy didn't know Sharon's plans for Thanksgiving, but Rusty had said he and Gus had been invited to visit Ricky in San Francisco. The trio were planning to do some rock climbing and "guy stuff" as Rusty had told Andy at their weekly Monday dinner he'd squeezed in even with the huge case. Andy didn't want to destroy that relationship too, so he'd met Rusty at a burger place near work that evening. Andy could guess Emily was in the middle of her holiday performances, so that led him to believe Sharon was probably alone with the babies. The older kids were still not very happy with Sharon, which he knew broke her heart. She loved her kids, and they had now been hurt by not one, but both of their parents. He knew they'd come around in time; after all, they deep down knew Sharon was an amazing mom, but it still saddened him to think that Sharon was alone.

So, now her it was Thanksgiving evening, and Andy stood at Sharon's door, alone, hoping to finally talk to her, armed with all things pumpkin-pie, bread, muffins. Andy knew Sharon, and she couldn't resist pumpkin. He'd spent the day with Nicole, which had been great, but all day long, his mind kept wandering to Sharon.

He knocked quietly, and he was glad when she answered. He had decided not to just barge in; he was really trying to do the right thing with her. He gave her a small, apologetic smile, taking in her casual appearance-leggings and a long sweater. She looked nice-comfortable and casual. The twins were three months old, and he could tell she hadn't lost the weight he knew she desperately wanted to lose, but he thought she looked beautiful.

"Hi," he nodded, "I thought we could talk. I came armed with all things pumpkin," he smiled slightly again.

"Hi," Sharon nodded, looking down. "Andy, this isn't a good idea. It's not healthy, and I can't keep doing this. I know I hurt you, badly, so badly. I know you can't even look at the kids, and I do understand. We can work together, but let's try to just keep things professional."

"I don't want that," Andy said, very direct. He'd thought a lot over the past week and a half. He wanted to be in Sharon's life, and he didn't want anyone else there taking that place from him. He missed those kids, his little ducks, as he called them. Sharon hadn't sent him any email pictures since he'd spoken with her in the diner, and it killed him. He realized he missed them as much as he missed her.

Sharon's eyes drew up when Andy said that, and she looked him in the eye now, all the hurt expressed in both of their eyes.

"Can I please come in?" he sighed, exasperated. "Look, I really want to talk."

"Fine," Sharon waved as she left the door open and started in toward the living room. Andy tugged on her wrist as she walked away, and when she turned around, he opened his arms, pulling her in for a big hug.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her hair. "I really want to talk, but I first need to say I'm sorry. Please don't say anything back right now. I just want to hold you a moment and let you know that," he sighed. "I'm sorry, and I'm an idiot."

He felt Sharon relax into his embrace, and there they stood, hugging while he held the pumpkin baked goods in his hand. Oh, it had been so long since he'd held Sharon, way too long, and he knew then he didn't want to let her go.

Sharon returned the embrace after realizing he was serious about it. She missed him desperately. It had been over a year since she'd been able to stand and hold Andy. So much had happened. She felt herself relax for the first time in a long time and decided right then and there she was going to put everything on the table now that he was here.

Andy lightly moved his hand up and down her back, reassuring her. They stood there like that for a couple of minutes, holding each other tightly.

"So," she whispered, "you said you brought all things pumpkin? Might there be pie?"

Andy pulled back, looking almost hurt, "Need you ask? You're forgetting I know you and your eating habits well," he grinned. "You can have some if I can come in and talk," he gave her a pointed look, while trying to look halfway joking.

"I thought I was the one to make the deals," she pursed her lips looking back at him.

"I do believe I remember you saying I was your best lieutenant, and seeing as how you left us in Major Crimes, well, I'm pretty sure I can make my fair share of deals," he smiled at her.

For the first time that evening, she smiled back, "I taught you well, then," as she pulled apart from him, tugging on his arm.

"Where are the troublemakers?" he said glancing around, noting it was quiet and serene.

"Out for Black Friday shopping," she rolled her eyes. "Where do you think? I put them to bed."

"What time is it now?" he asked. "Lost track of time; I was at Nicole's house," he told her putting the food down on the counter.

"10:30," she replied, "I've gotten the twins to where they are sleeping about seven hour stretches, so if I get them down by 10:00, they sleep until 5:00ish. It's glorious getting some sleep again. What's more amazing is that they are both sleeping like that. I guess that's one good thing about having done all this before," she said, watching as he got the pie out.

"Oh, you brought bread too? Bless you," she smiled.

"I came prepared for any number of situations, but before we sit and eat all of this, can I check on the troublemakers?" he grinned.

Sharon nodded, "I know you haven't seen them for awhile; yes, of course, you can check on them," she said.

"I have a confession to make," he raised his hand, and she looked at him with a curious glance, "I may check on them every day at work," he glanced down, "If we're going to talk and put everything out on the table, well, there."

"You do?" she smiled brightly. "Why don't I see you? I check on them at lunch every day and feed them their bottle."

Andy nodded, "I know. The day care staff told me. You put all Major Crimes on your list for emergency contacts, and well, I've been checking in on them since you started back to work. I go there every day-usually flip my lunch break with one of my shorter breaks, so I eat lunch in about a 15-minute window so I can spend 45 minutes or so a day down there. I asked the day care staff not to mention it, and I'm pretty sure they think we're fighting over custody of the kids or something. I go down there around 2:00 every day, unless we're wrapped up in a case. Then, I at least pop in, but I always made sure not to go at lunch. I hope it's okay."

"Let me get this straight-you take almost an hour out of your workday every day to go and see them?" she said tears in her eyes. "Why?"

Andy sighed, "As easy as it would be to walk away-and quite frankly, I don't know who said that because I don't think it would be easy to walk away-I can't. I l care about those two," he shrugged.

Sharon just nodded, looking away, determined for Andy not to see the tears building, "What do you do while you are there?" she asked, looking up at him.

He shrugged, "What else with infants? I sit and rock them. Tell them how wonderful their mom is. Tell Tom not to get roped into his sister's antics, that he's going to owe me big time when he gets older for insisting on that name of his be Tom and not Thomas. I tell that ringleader of yours how beautiful she is, just like her mom," he added, looking down.

Andy thought he detected a slight smile as she stood there looking down while listening. Then, she nodded, reached out, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the nursery, "I guess you've earned the right to check on them," she shrugged.

The two stood in the doorway watching and listening. The two were snoring slightly. Andy stood behind Sharon and put his hands on her shoulders, "I've missed the three of you so much. I'm sorry. I know I said it already, but I am."

Sharon nodded and turned, "Let's go back to the living room. If you wake them, you are stuck getting them to go back to sleep."

Andy chuckled and nodded, now following Sharon back to the couch where they sat, facing each other.

"Andy,-" Sharon started to say with a rush of her breath, but Andy cut in.

"I've missed you," Andy said right away, "Let me apologize for what I said at the barbeque. I know it came out harshly, and that's not what I wanted to say at all. I was only trying to not get you in trouble with Pope, not trying to make things awkward if he thought we were dating, and we weren't, or that you had done anything unprofessional here in your job. I was trying to convey that, yet I still messed it up," he shook his head. "As far as Jack," he sighed, "well, that should need no explanation. Jack still gets to me."

"Andy," Sharon cut back in, "I know you put your foot in your mouth," she sighed. "I know. I've known you long enough," she shook her head, "I guess I was just scared that somewhere in all that it was true. At first I left because it hurt me, but I spent the whole afternoon reflecting, and well, I realized you put your foot in your mouth. It's okay. If anyone should still be apologizing in this mess, it's me," she shrugged.

"Hey," Andy grabbed her hand to tug on it to make her look up at him, "Rule 1 tonight-No more apologies about those two back there," he nodded toward the hallway. I've accepted that they are part of you, and if I want to be in your life, they are there too. I'm still a bit raw about everything, but no more apologies."

Sharon nodded, as she let out her breath, "Okay. Looking forward and not backward, right?" she added.

"Exactly," Andy nodded. "We can't change things now, and in some twisted way, they've brought some joy to my life recently. I don't want to lose that," he said as he gave her a small smile. She nodded in return.

"Come here," he opened his arms so she could sit closer to him. It's been too long. I am thankful tonight to be sitting here with you. Can I just hold you close right now?" Sharon smiled and nodded, moving over and put her arms around his waist. "Just sit back and relax for now," he said moving his hands through her hair, "and then we can discuss what we are going to do about everything-us, those two back there, all the other kids, everything at work-just let me hold you for now," he said as the two drifted off to sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

She knew it was too good to be true. Why was she having such vivid dreams? Man, they felt real. Here she sat, alone, on her couch, and now she could add stiff from sleeping on said couch. She sighed, as she sat up. The babies were crying. 5:20-well, they had slept through the night, so that was at least good. She stretched as she sat up. Such a good dream-if only it had been real. She felt like she really had talked to Andy last night, that he really had held her until she fell asleep. Dreams. If only they came true. She sighed again, getting up so that she could start her day-change the babies, feed them, let them have some tummy time, and then shower while they napped. That would get her until maybe 9:00, and then she'd have to figure out what to do on, what was shaping up to be, a depressing Thanksgiving weekend. Lucky duck she was for having it off, but now, it just reminded her she was alone again.

"Incoming," she heard as, startled, she looked down the hall to see Tom "flying" toward her. She almost cried; it wasn't a dream. Andy really had come over last night to talk, and they really had fallen asleep on the couch. Bless him; here he was, awake before she was, and he'd already changed Tom. She'd have to remember to address the whole "Flying Baby" issue at another time, but now, she almost couldn't believe he was really standing in the condo.

What's wrong?" he asked, stopping quickly with Tom, bouncing him slightly to get him to stop crying. One thing-both babies had a set of lungs on them in the morning when they were hungry.

"Nothing," Sharon shook her head, eyes glistening, "Nothing at all. I just, well, I woke up, you weren't here, and I thought it was all some dream. I guess I slept better than I thought."

He smiled, "Me too, but first thing's first-this guy and his little sister are hungry."

Sharon nodded, "I'll get the bottles ready," she said as she started moving to the kitchen. Andy put Tom down in the swing for a few minutes.

"I'll get Faith. She wasn't as feisty as Tom this morning. Big guy must have known I was here and was anxious to see me," Andy smiled as he winked and turned to go back and get Faith.

Sharon made up the bottles and picked up Tom, settling on the couch to start feeding him. Andy came out with Faith a few minutes later, grabbed a bottle, and flopped down on the couch to do the same.

Sharon glanced over at Andy, so content, sitting there, feeding Faith, "You have no idea how much I like the fact that you are comfortable taking care of them. It's amazing to me. You just jump in and do whatever," she smiled.

He turned to look at her, "You have no idea how much I enjoy watching you be their mom. It's a side of you I haven't seen as much. With Rusty, you didn't have to do this kind of care with him; it was different, still is, but I just can't get enough of watching you be their mom," he squeezed her hand that was supporting Tom's head.

The settled into silence for a few minutes, listening to the two drink their bottles and smiling at the happy babies. Sharon broke the silence, "Does it still bother you?" she looked over to him.

He looked over to her. Her mind had obviously gone somewhere, but he hadn't caught up to it yet, "Bother me?"

Sharon shook her head, "Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. Does it still bother you to look at Faith? You told me that it was almost too hard."

Andy looked down at Faith, whose bright eyes were looking back at Andy. He smiled at her before he turned to Sharon, "No, not in the least. When I look at her, yes, I see you, but now, Sharon, I see you in her and think to myself that she and Tom are the most amazing things ever."

Sharon was definitely not prepared for that response, and quickly found herself overly emotional again, tears running down her face.

"I didn't mean to make you cry," he smiled slightly, squeezing her hand again.

"You didn't," she waved him off, "You made me incredibly happy."

Once the twins were fed and settled into their swings, Andy pulled Sharon into his side, "Now, go on back there and get a shower, freshen up. I'm going to make us some breakfast. Then, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to our conversation before I head home. I'd really love a shower myself, but my gym bag is at home, so I don't have any extra clothes. I'll just shower when I go home later."

Sharon looked up at him innocently, "There may still be some of your things here from when you had the blood clot," she shrugged.

Andy nodded, pursed lips, "I see. Well, if they happen to surface, and say, surface in the bathroom with a towel, then I will shower after you are done."

Sharon nodded, "You know," she shook her finger, "you are always saying Faith is the ringleader. I'd probably ask her about your clothes. I'm sure she could find them. Likes to hide stuff. You know how she is with hiding that pacifier. Although, could be Tom. The quiet ones are always sneaky."

Andy threw up his hands, "Definitely not Tom. My boy there, Tom, he's got my back."

Sharon smiled as she walked off, "I'll have a Mother-Daughter chat with Faith-tell her if she wants to keep the guy around who is really interested in her, she'd better come clean on the clothing," and winked as she went into the bathroom.

Before the door shut, Andy yelled down the hall, "That's right. Get your pretty little self all decked out. Yeah, you heard me-just like I said those first days you were home from the hospital. Andy chuckled as he smiled, looking at both babies. They were fed; now it was time for the adults to eat.

Once the whole household was fed, showered, and dressed, Sharon and Andy fed the babies again before putting them down for their morning nap.

"How long do we have?" Andy smiled as Sharon walked out from the nursery. She was dressed in lounging, comfortable clothes, while Andy had "happened" to find an LAPD shirt that fit him and some running pants that he'd mysteriously not been able to find for some time.

"They normally nap for about two and a half hours now. They've gotten on a good schedule," she said.

Andy patted the cushion next to him, "Sit, get comfy. Let's talk."

"So," Andy jumped right in, "the team."

Sharon, who was leaning against his side, sat up and turned, "You want to start a discussion about us with the team?"

"Yup, I do," he said, "sit back. Remember, you're not the boss at home," he grinned. She swatted at him.

"So, as much as I don't want to lie to the team, I want everyone, and I mean everyone, out of this," he indicated the two of them, "well, everyone but the ducks back there. They can be part of us. I don't think they'll talk and give us up."

Sharon chuckled, "Okay, why does that bother you so much right now?"

"Well," Andy shifted, "I feel like at work we are under a microscope. I get it if you need to talk to Pope. You don't report to anyone else, and he doesn't care. I can deal with him if he wants to give me some "disappointed in you" looks, but he can't say anything, and he won't say anything. He'd have to deal with Darth Raydor," he grinned at Sharon. Sharon rolled her eyes.

"So, what are you suggesting? They are detectives after all," she asked.

He nodded, "I know, but I want us just to be us for awhile. You don't work five feet from me right now, so that has to help keep the watchful eye off us. I just feel like there's always this pressure from the team to know everything. I'm just wanting you to myself right now, no team allowed. I hate not saying anything to Provenza, but let's face it-how long did he hide Patrice? I can deal with him. He's been a great friend, but even he's tired of hearing about the mess we've had. I promise I can keep it ultra-professional at work if you can. It won't be forever, but maybe just until we get our footing again?"

Sharon nodded, listening and thinking as he spoke, "Andy, I know it was always a bit hard on you when we were dating before. I know the team gave you a hard time, and if you need this, then I will most definitely give that to you. Yes, I'll speak to Pope, but as you said, he won't care. He is terrified of me most of the time," she chuckled. "He told me once he couldn't afford to lose me again because I'm still the only one who can keep you and your best friend in line."

"Hey! We couldn't help the two murder scenes we stumbled into while you were away at that job we will not discuss," he added.

Sharon just chuckled, "I'm not going to comment," as she settled in against him again. He started playing with her hair. "But seriously, Andy, you've accepted more than I could ever ask with everything. I'm fine with that for now, but at some point, they will figure it out."

"Okay," Andy nodded, "I'm just going to jump into this one because it's awkward again for both of us. Kissing and anything else. Sharon, I know we had been progressing along prior to everything, but I-well, I can't believe I'm saying this," he chuckled, "I need to start over, and I need to go slowly, tread lightly. Anything else is too much. I really, really, really don't want to have to go into detail about it being too much, but I hope you are okay with starting over."

Sharon turned, leaned in, placed both hands on the sides of his face, and kissed him sweetly on the lips, nothing lingering but just sweet and tender, "Is that okay?" she whispered.

Andy smiled at her, which was hard for her to see. Her face was still close to his, "Most definitely. Perfect. Everything I've wanted for over 400 days.

Sharon pulled back, quite surprised; you read my letters?"

Andy laced his fingers with hers, "Every single word of every single letter, multiple times," he sighed. "I wasn't going to read them. That first Friday night you showed up at my place, I almost threw you out. I might have if you hadn't been pregnant and looking so tired. When you left that letter, I just about threw it away, but I didn't even want to touch it. Then, every week, it just became a thorn in my side-too painful to even address. I couldn't read them. You know when I read them-the night I saw you at the hospital. After I sat with Faith and then I sat with Tom, well, I knew I couldn't walk away, so I started with all of your letters."

Sharon nodded, "I've kept a count of the number of days since I ruined everything, and as you know, I noted the day number in every letter, along with all of the other ramblings I wrote. It seemed to get more and more depressing when I hit, '100 days since I last kissed you and ruined everything,' '200 days since I last kissed you and ruined everything,' '300 days since I last kissed you and ruined everything,' and even '400 days since I last kissed you and ruined everything,' she shook her head.

Andy pulled her in and kissed her sweetly again, "And, the counting is over, for good."

Sharon smiled into that, "Agreed."

"But I have one request, related to all that," he commented.

Sharon looked at him puzzled.

"Please, please, please keep sending me any picture of them. I created a folder at work with their pictures, and aside from the few I take when I see them at day care, it hasn't been updated in a very long time," he nodded.

"You created a picture folder of them?" she asked.

"Of course. It gets me through every single day. I even code named it so wandering eyes don't see it," he grinned.

Sharon's eyes narrowed, "What is it called?"

"Ducks," Andy shrugged, "Easy," to which Sharon started laughing and finally settled against his chest again.

"So, I have one request," Sharon sat up to look at him. Andy looked back at her with a questioning gaze, "The kids-I mean the big kids. The other five kids who are adults-can we treat them like the team? That should be even easier because only Rusty and Nicole live here. Just for now?"

Andy nodded, "I think that's a good idea. No need to get their opinions on the matter, which we both know they have a lot of opinions. None of them are very happy with things, so let's just keep them away from us right now. However, you need to make sure your little ringleader back there doesn't out us."

Andy's phone interrupted their conversation. Groaning as he moved to find it, "It has better not be a murder," he sighed as he looked, "Provenza," he frowned back at her. Sharon just laughed.

"I have that same expression when Provenza calls me," she chuckled.

"What!" he barked into the phone, "Please tell me we don't have a murder."

"No, Flynn! Don't jinx us! No, I called to make sure you hadn't crawled into a bottle or something. Haven't talked to you. What are you doing? Want to hit the bar with me tonight to watch me drink? Patrice is doing Christmas shopping, and she told me if I didn't have plans, I was coming with her," he said.

"Well, lace up your shoes because you're going shopping," he barked into the phone again.

Sharon raised her eyebrows at the weird comment and then covered her mouth to keep from chuckling. Andy swatted toward her to keep her mouth shut. She turned and laughed into the pillow.

"What? What could possibly be important? I know you've been moping around here about HER, so that's not it," Provenza said.

"No, I'm not just hanging out with Sharon. I'm busy. Doing my own shopping this weekend. Saw Nicole yesterday and probably more today. We'll see. No, I'm just not spending tonight out with you, tomorrow night either, for that matter," he added.

"Come over on Sunday, and we'll watch some of the NFL games on," Provenza told Andy.

"Oh, no," Andy shook his head, "I've told you I'm not watching the NFL ever again," to which Sharon sat up and gave him a sad smile. He just patted her leg.

"Yeah, yeah, now only into college football. I hate that she ruined the NFL for you," Provenza said. "So, you are coming over sometime this weekend. Tell me when or I'll come sit at your place all weekend."

"Fine!" Andy barked. "I'll stop by tomorrow. It's Friday night, and I'm not hauling myself over there. Too many crazies out on the road. I'll just sit here when I am, thank you very much."

"I'll keep calling you tomorrow until you come, Flynn, and I'll somehow make you pay for making me go out shopping with Patrice tonight," he scolded Andy.

"Whatever. Don't get into some fight tonight for some kitchen appliance on sale, you cheap goat," and he hung up.

"So, you are planning to, 'Just sit here where I am,' as you quote?" Sharon asked once she stopped laughing.

"Well, maybe not anymore after you almost outed yourself on Day 1 here with Provenza," he huffed at her.

"I'm sorry," she laughed, "Listening to you two-it's always entertaining, and I never thought I'd say it, but I missed it very much," she smiled.

Andy leaned back against the back of the couch, pulling Sharon back to nestle into his side, "Well, with that excuse, yeah, I think I'll just sit here where I am for today if that's okay with you. Oh, and I didn't lie to Provenza when I said I wasn't just hanging out with you; I'm not. I'm hanging out with the other two back there as well," he grinned. "I could sit here all weekend, and I think we're in luck; I think the Ducks have one final game this weekend," he winked.

 **A/N-Up Next-Ducks' First Christmas!**


	22. Chapter 22

"Oh, oh, oh, there she goes again!" Sharon exclaimed, as she and Andy sat on the floor right in front of the Christmas tree watching the babies. Faith had finally figured out how to roll over. Andy wrapped his arm around Sharon, as they were sitting right next to each other with the twins in front of them, who were lying on the floor. Faith was demonstrating her new-found ability to roll herself over. "Andy, I'm so glad you didn't miss this! If you had gotten here even 10 minutes later, you would have missed it! Rolling over right at four months old!" Sharon said now giddy, as she was laughing, smiling, and making faces at Faith who had done the second time, flipped herself over. "Oh, she's really figured it out!"

Andy chuckled and squeezed Sharon's shoulder as he pulled her closer. He kissed the side of her head before he leaned in so he could whisper in her ear, "I hate to spoil your excitement, but I could only hold off the day care workers so long. She did that two days ago," he frowned, knowing Sharon was going to be heartbroken.

Sharon's eyes went wide as she pulled out of his grasp and looked at him with wide eyes, "She did this two days ago?"

Andy nodded, as he gave her a sad smile, "She did it at daycare. They wanted to tell you, but I told them I was going to surprise you with it."

"She already rolled over at daycare, and I-we missed it?" she said with a tone of disappointment.

Andy shifted slightly, "Ahh, well, you see, YOU missed it. I saw it."

Sharon's eyes grew bigger, "You saw her roll over?"

He nodded. As a way of distracting her, he started kissing her neck, and she pulled back, "Oh, that's not going to work, mister! I can't believe you saw her roll over," she said as she rolled Faith back over to do it again.

"So, that's not going to work?" he nodded to her, indicating his apparent failed distraction technique. "You sure? I can try kissing you again. I've done such a good job not kissing you at work this month, so are you sure that won't work?" he grinned, flashing her a big smile.

"No, most definitely not this time," she grinned at him, as she squealed, "Oh, she did it again!"

Andy shifted to pull his phone out of his pocket, "Well, I know it doesn't make up for missing the first time she did it, but I managed to record it. I had just put her back down after I got done rocking with her, and you could tell she was getting frustrated. She was almost there, as we've seen for a few days, and well, I captured it on video."

Sharon smiled at him, "Okay, that distraction might work now. You're a good man recording that."

Andy just grinned at her, and the two stared at each other a moment before Faith started crying out in frustration, "She's going to have a little temper, isn't she?" he asked as he looked at Tom.

Sharon laughed as she grabbed Andy's arm, "Oh, most definitely, and I have a feeling the two of you will go rounds with each other," she said as she smiled sweetly and kissed Andy on the cheek. "Faith seems to have gotten a double dose of frustration while Tom seems to have the charm."

"What do you think he and I talk about when we rock? Gotta start the charm early, Sharon," he kissed her quickly as he stood. "Now, seeing as it is Christmas night, and they've patiently waited all day to see me and get their presents, let me get all of them so they can open them."

"There's more than what you brought in?" she asked, almost alarmed, noting the stack at the door. "Andy, they won't remember this Christmas at all. You didn't have to get them piles of presents."

"Oh, I did," he smiled. "Let me go downstairs and get the rest, and then maybe they can open them?" he asked.

Sharon smiled, "Sounds like a plan. Let me put them in the Christmas pajamas you got them while you are doing that, and then you can help them open all of this."

"Be right back," he winked.

10 minutes and two trips later, Andy had a huge stack in the living room by the Christmas tree. Sharon chuckled again with the huge piles, "Oh, that's picture worthy. Andy, what did you get them? We talked about the fact they didn't need anything."

"Yeah, well, that's because I had already bought what I think they need," he grinned sweetly at her. "It's their first Christmas Sharon. I've got to spoil them a little."

Sharon gave him a look, "Hmmm, you know if you start out spoiling them now, it could be a problem in the future."

"I'll take my chances," Andy said as he grabbed Tom and sat down. "Now, they need to open their presents."

Andy and Sharon managed to open all the presents, which Andy proudly admitted he had the salesclerks wrap. Sharon laughed, remembering his poor wrapping skills.

"Andy, this is too much. You've already bought most of the baby stuff they have here," she said a few minutes later looking over the "haul" both kids had accumulated. Sharon was overwhelmed with two high chairs, two Exersaucers, countless toys, and clothing.

"You realize this place looks like a baby store now," she grinned awhile later after they had put the babies to bed and were lounging on the couch looking at the Christmas tree.

Andy shrugged, "Would you have it any other way?" he kissed her head.

"Now, all this, no," she leaned over and kissed him sweetly. "I'm glad you could come over this evening. I hope Nicole was okay you didn't stay longer."

He waved her off, "She was worried I was just going to go home and sulk. I told her I was fine and would have a nice, relaxing evening, which is true. I'm here. That part she doesn't need to know, but she was okay with it. I was there all day. I'm just sorry I wasn't here. This is the one hard part about not telling the kids and the team yet."

"I know that makes it hard. Don't worry about me. I had a great day. Rusty and Gus came by early this morning. I got to FaceTime with Emily and Ricky together in New York. I spent the afternoon with my two youngest waiting for you to come over this evening, so it was a great day. Now, I get to enjoy the evening here."

Andy nodded, "Well, you still need to open your presents, don't forget."

"You most definitely didn't need to get me presents," she shook her head.

"Good because I didn't. The ducks did. I just followed their requests," he grinned. "Now, here," he said as he pulled out some wrapped gifts.

"Well, the twins were busy because they wanted to give you some gifts too" Sharon added as she got up and pulled some gifts from the tree.

"What could you have possibly gotten me, Sharon?" he smiled at her.

She shrugged her shoulders, "No idea-the twins picked this out."

The two exchanged presents and after unwrapping them, they sat curled up on the couch.

"These photos you had done of you and the kids-they are wonderful. My only regret right now is I can't put them on display at work, but they will be all over my house. There's so many great pictures. Thank you, Sharon, for hiring a photographer and getting these great photos. While all the ones of the twins are amazing, my favorite is the one of you."

Sharon smiled at him, "I'm glad you like them, and someday soon, you can put them out at work. Andy, I can't believe my amazing gifts! You shouldn't have. I don't deserve any of it. I've done so many terrible things," she sighed.

"We are done living in the past, remember?" he kissed her head. "Now, the trip to Palm Springs for New Year's with the two sleeping back there-that's as much a present to me as to you. I'm looking forward to a few days off, out of town, three-bedroom condo, where I can hang out with the three of you, without worrying about people seeing us."

"You think the twins will do okay for a little trip?" she asked.

"The three of us already talked; they'll be on their best behavior."

After the two chuckled, Sharon held up her wrist, "This bracelet is beautiful, and I love all the kids' birthstones."

"You're welcome," he said as he rubbed her back, "You've got quite the bracelet there with five birthstones."

"Well, you are quite the man to put up with a woman with five kids," she patted his arm.

"So, now I can tell you about the most comical part of buying all that stuff for the kids," he grinned.

Sharon turned, "And, what would that be?"

"Funny story, so I was at the store buying the clothes, high chairs, toys, and the Exersaucers-the checkout girl was sweet and said, 'Oh, how nice of you buying all this stuff for your twin grandkids! 'so, I correct her saying, 'Well, all of this stuff is actually for my girlfriend.' The checkout girl looks at me like I am some creepy old guy, probably thinking I have some 25-year-old girlfriend or something," he chuckled. "I sensed her disgust and finally pulled out my phone showing her a picture of the three of you. She just looked at it and said, 'Oh,' and then, we both couldn't stop chuckling. Then, she said I was really sweet and she loved one particular outfit I was getting the best."

"Which one?" Sharon now asked, intrigued.

"Their new duck pajamas of course," he grinned.

"The duck pajamas you got them are my favorite too, sort of an example of our new start," she grinned.


	23. Chapter 23

It was almost Easter; spring was here, and so was April. Everyone seemed to be growing-the twins in size and Sharon and Andy in their relationship. They still were not back to exactly where they had been before, but both were okay with the pace of things. Andy was relaxing more and more around Sharon again, realizing he wanted to be with her, with all three of them, more and more. It was getting harder and harder to leave them at night. And, he was leaving them at night still. Their relationship wasn't at that point yet. He and Sharon knew they loved each other, but they also knew they didn't want to screw things up. That would mean total and final disaster, and to both, that wasn't an option. What they didn't expect was how they had been able to keep everything from the kids and the team. That was a total surprise, and both know the topic was one that was going to need addressing soon.

Andy had been able to keep the team at bay with a simple explanation. He had told the team that he and Sharon had worked through the bitterness, through the hurt, and all of that was true. The team knew the two could work well together, and it was a welcome relief that the two minds together could still solve cases with ease. The team knew the two had been through it, and for once, out of respect, they'd left things along. He and Sharon couldn't believe it, but they had been glad for the privacy. The team even knew he liked the kids, but they didn't know to what extent. They didn't know that he helped with bath time most evenings, that he read them stories before bed, that he had watched both roll over, sit up, and start to eat foods. The team didn't know that Andy was well aware that Faith liked bananas, while Tom loved squash. The team didn't know he was madly in love with those little ducks and well, their mom too. He'd been able to visit the twin in daycare every day; however, he wasn't staying as long as he had before, and that was partly due to the fact he saw them almost every day anyways. He was at the point of stopping by either before or after work, sometimes both, to have breakfast or dinner with all of them. He missed Sharon, and he knew she could use the help with the babies. Now that the twins were starting to eat regular foods, it was taking longer and longer at mealtime.

One of the things Andy really wanted to do was to take Sharon out again on a regular date. Sure, they'd been out plenty since they'd started to put their relationship back together, but it had always been with the twins, always been as a family. They'd go out to dinner, usually on a weekend so it wasn't so late, taking the kids, but he wanted to do that soon, take Sharon out. They were lacking a babysitter, and while they knew they had plenty at their disposal, none knew about them yet. The team didn't know. Rusty had been busy at school, Nicole had thought Andy and Sharon were cordial and nothing else, and the other three grown kids lived out of the area, so it had been easier to not talk to them about things. Sharon's kids were doing better, and they had promised to visit as soon as their schedules lightened up for them.

As Andy sat and ate his lunch in the Murder Room, reflecting on the last several months, he found himself digging out his phone and looking through the pictures on it. This wasn't the same as having his framed photos out on his desk, and oh, he had several he'd like to display, but it was at least a reminder of the wonderful family he was falling in love with. Sharon was his world, and those ducks had become it too.

"Flynn! Are you going to just sit there and eat that salad junk again?" Provenza asked him from his doorway. Andy put his phone down to turn and speak to Provenza.

"You know I eat salad almost every day, that or leftovers," Andy rolled his eyes. He and Sharon had gotten into a good routine of doing some cooking each Sunday, preparing some meals for the week since they couldn't go out as easily as they once had during the week. That had been able to fly under the radar too because Sharon no longer at with the team; she had her own office, so no one saw if she and Andy happened to bring the same leftovers.

"I don't know how you eat that bird food," he rolled his eyes back at Andy. "Listen, I'm heading to a meeting in the Chief's office, so hold down the fort. The rest of the team should be back from lunch soon," Provenza stated. "When I finish meeting with her, she said she needed to come in here and do some mandatory training presentation. It should only take about 20 minutes she said."

"Will do, and I'll let everyone know that" Andy waved him off, and once Provenza left, Andy dug his phone back out to look through is photos while he ate. Andy didn't act at all surprised to hear that Sharon had to come and do this training; she'd already told him, and he was looking forward to her being in the Murder Room today, even if it was only for a few minutes.

As he looked through his pictures, he smiled, looking back at the ones from Palm Springs, just after Christmas. Sharon had been so nervous to take the twins out of town, and she'd packed like they were moving. The trip, once they got there, had been so nice and relaxing. Andy had rented a large condo in a resort, with bedrooms for all of them, and yes, they'd been respectful enough to keep things simple in that regard. Both clearly saw what throwing caution to the wind had done, and neither wanted that mess again. During their trip, they'd taken the babies into the pool for their first time. While the twins napped, they'd drive through Joshua Tree National Park, and for good exercise-as Sharon tried to justify this-they'd walked the outlet mall countless times. It had been the perfect first getaway for them, and Andy grinned as he looked at picture after picture of their little trip. Tom had finally figured out how to roll over on that trip, just over a week behind his sister. The team had been off those days since they had worked Christmas, so no one was the wiser. Since Provenza had gotten married, he had been more preoccupied with Patrice and not hounding Andy for all his time. Provenza still checked on him, but he knew Andy was well on the road to recovery. He just didn't know that road included Sharon.

More picture, this time of Valentine's Day, Andy had cooked a full dinner for Sharon, surprising her when she got home from work. The team had a light day, much to their delight, and he'd not only cooked her dinner, he'd managed to get the twins from daycare. The daycare had been great about not discussing Andy's involvement, mainly thinking he was the ducks' dad anyway. The daycare seemed to believe the two weren't together, but they were sharing the kids, so no rumors had circulated. Shared custody of kids wasn't a gossip worthy matter. So, he'd gotten the kids, fed them, and he'd made a nice dinner for Sharon. They had settled in for the evening, that is, until Andy got called out on a case. At least they had dinner together that night.

He had pictures and videos of the twins rolling over, both sitting up. He chuckled looking at that. Faith had been the first one to roll over, sit up, and even get her first tooth. He and Sharon both chuckled at how laid back Tom was; he just wasn't in a hurry to do much yet, and they wondered if that would continue. They also wondered if Faith would be the first to crawl, walk, and talk. They were almost crawling, both, and Sharon and Andy knew things would change in the household once the two were on the move.

Andy put his phone away as the team filtered in from lunch, and once everyone was there, he'd told them of the afternoon plans. Work commenced, and the day continued. Easter was a week away, and Andy was already looking forward to spending that time with his favorite ducks and their new duck Easter baskets. He got back to work, smiling.

"Excuse me, ahh, Lieutenant," he heard and everyone spun around toward the doorway where a face, familiar to Andy, but unfamiliar to the rest of the team stood.

"Ahh, need some help there?" Wes indicated to the woman holding the car seat.

Andy stood at the sight of Jen, the daycare worker, confusion evident on his face, "Jen, what's up? Why do you have Tom here?"

The team now was all intrigued. Andy knew the daycare worker by first name, and while none of them could see WHICH baby was here, Andy seemed to know from across the room. The team could only see the front of the car seat. While the seats were the exact same, black and gray, Sharon had long ago tied two different toys onto them, and this one was Tom's. Andy knew that. The team sat back to watch the show while Jen made her way to Andy carrying the car seat.

"Well, Lieutenant, I'm sorry to bother you, but it seems like Tom has a fever. I know both you and the Chief have mentioned he's cutting teeth, which is probably it, but he can't stay in the daycare with a fever. I called up to the Chief's office, and they said she was in a meeting. I wanted to go ahead and bring him up to you so I didn't waste your time asking you to come get him," she explained.

Andy glanced up to see the team all watching him. Julio was grinning, as was Buzz. Wes and Amy were sitting there, bug-eyed, and Tao was shaking his head, probably thinking that Provenza was missing quite the show.

Andy just jumped back into "dad" mode, as he nodded to Jen, reached in and unclasped Tom, and pulled him out of his seat, "Hey Buddy, not feeling well?" he asked as he picked up Tom and held him effortlessly, putting his hand on his head and feeling him to see if he was warm.

"Man, they have gotten big!" Amy said.

"Seems like Flynn already knows that," Julio grinned as he chuckled. The rest continued to watch.

"He'll need to be fever free to return to daycare. I'm sorry to interrupt your day, but I knew if the Chief was busy, you'd want to take him," Jen said.

Andy nodded, as he put his finger in Tom's mouth, "Yeah, those two are already through," he said referring to his teeth, "but, he's been fussy a few days, and there are two more that have been about ready to come through."

Jen nodded, as the team smiled on. Andy sure was familiar with Tom.

"Faith's fine?" he asked to Jen, "No fever or anything?"

"She's fine. We checked her, and no fever," Jen said.

Andy nodded again, while bouncing Tom, "Yeah, well, her teeth already cut through. She's been about a week ahead of him for almost everything," he added, and the team shared glances all grinning.

"So, can I leave him with you?" Jen asked.

"Yeah, I can take him home, and I might as well-" he was interrupted with Tom looking right at him, and suddenly, Tom, the drool bucket with his amazing smile, looked at Andy and said, "Dada!"

The team all started laughing, while Andy was a bit surprised. Jen smiled too, "Oh, he hasn't said that before has he? Is that his first word?"

Andy nodded, "Yeah," he said while sighing. Tom's first word, the first time he'd done anything before Faith, which was something to be excited about, a first word was always something to be excited about, but Tom had gone and blown the whole discreet operation out of the water, first with the fever and now with his "Dada" comment. Andy smiled at Tom, rubbing his head, and turned back to Jen, "Ahh, I'll take care of him, and what I was about to say is that if I'm taking him, I'll take Faith too. If you get her ready, I'll stop down and get her."

Jen nodded, "I will. Thanks again, and I'm sorry," she said before she left.

"Dada," the sweet voice said again, drooling all over Andy's tie and shirt.

Andy looked at Tom, "Great timing there, Tom," he said and rolled his eyes, turning to the group, "What?" he said, even though he knew WHAT they were watching, and as if watching Andy with Sharon's son was the most natural thing in the world.

"Care to share anything, Lieutenant?" Julio smirked.

"Dada," Tom said again, smacking Andy's face with his little hand. Andy and Sharon had been saying a lot of sounds to the babies to get them to talk, but both had always treaded lightly, not using "Dada," knowing it was a touchy area. Apparently, that hadn't deterred Tom. Andy was shaking his head, thinking of how other babies were already rubbing off on Tom; apparently, he'd heard that from them.

Just then, the team heard the familiar sound of heels coming down the hall, and then they heard the voice of Provenza walking alongside her. Soon, both Sharon and Provenza came into view of the Murder Room, a room where Andy was standing at his desk, car seat on his desk, holding drooling Tom while the team was all relaxed in their chairs, turned to Andy, watching things unfold.

Sharon froze as she walked with Provenza, eyes showing her surprise, "Why is Tom in here?" she asked. Provenza could be heard saying, "Idiots," as he stood next to Sharon shaking his head.

"It would appear, Ma'am," Julio started to explain, "that Tom has a fever. The lieutenant was discussing his teething, and might I say, impressively so like someone closely involved in his life, and until Tom gets rid of his fever, he can't come back to daycare. The lieutenant here was just planning to take both Tom and his sister, HOME," he said slowly and deliberately.

"Oh," Sharon said simply and quietly, and as all eyes shifted from Andy to her, she just shrugged. She met Andy's gaze, and the two smiled warmly at each other, in a sense, telling the team through their eyes.

"Dada," Tom said again, patting his face. Sharon's eyes grew large again.

"Oh, and Julio forgot that part," Wes jumped in, "Little Tom over there, well, he's been calling the Lieutenant 'Dada' since he came in," Wes nodded as he grinned. He didn't know them all as well, but he'd seen the mess since he'd joined the team.

Provenza continued to shake his head, while Sharon walked toward Tom, smiling brightly, "He said his first word?"

Andy nodded, "Yeah, appears that way, and wouldn't you know it, he's the one who outed us," Andy shook his head. The team chuckled.

Sharon pulled Tom from Andy's arms, and when she smiled at him, he looked back at Andy, "Dada," he said again.

"Oh, he said his first word before Faith!" she chuckled, "You are a stinker, you little guy."

Andy just shook his head and opened his desk drawer, "Well, about time I can put these out," he said as he pulled out several photos of the kids, some with both he and Sharon in them too, and he began arranging them on his desk. The team just watched as he did so, chuckling.

"You mean to tell me that you two are back together?" Provenza finally commented. "How long?"

Andy and Sharon looked at each other and shrugged. Andy answered, "Thanksgiving. Gotta say everyone-you're slipping. LA's best detectives, and it took a seven-month-old to crack your case."


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry this chapter is shorter, but it just needed to be that way. Tom's at it again...**

Sharon smiled as she walked into the condo later that night. She was greeted with amazing smells coming from the kitchen and the happy banter from her two youngest. After their scene in the Murder Room, Sharon and Andy had walked the twins down to Andy's car, where he volunteered to take them home, promising Sharon a home cooked meal when she got there. Sharon had several meetings, and while she felt badly she wasn't the one taking her own kids home, she knew they were in the best of care with her favorite person. Now, here she was, home, tired, but happy with the scene before her.

"Hi," she said as she walked up to Andy, stirring the pot on the stove. She wrapped her arms around his back, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.

"Hi Sweetheart," he said, turning to kiss her properly. "How was the rest of your day?"

Sharon nodded, "Fine," as she smiled at him and then turned to greet the twins, both in their highchairs intent on throwing their baby finger foods on the floor. "Thank you again for bringing them home. How is Tom?"

Andy waved her off, "He's fine. I'm sure it's teething. I mean, he's agitated, but I don't think his fever is anything serious, just teething."

"Good," she smiled, kissing each baby and helping them with their food frustrations. Both babies had managed to push or shove food everywhere but their mouths. "I spoke to Rusty, and he is going to come over for dinner. I just asked if he wanted to come eat, that I hadn't seen him in awhile, so he'll be here soon after his class. I didn't mention you would be here," she smiled at Andy.

Andy turned to her, "Yeah, well, it's time. We said that when the team found out, we needed to tell the kids before word got back to any of them. We can hash out a plan for talking to the rest of them after dinner if you want."

Sharon walked back over and stood against the counter so she could see Andy while he worked, "I'm very, very happy we are going to talk to the kids. I'm so happy with how things are going," she smiled again.

Andy leaned over and kissed her, "Me too."

"Dada!" they heard again and both looked at each other chuckling.

"I can't believe he's talking! What's even funnier is we have the daycare staff to blame," Sharon chuckled.

Andy grinned at her, "See, I told you all the days of my visiting them paid off. The daycare workers kept talking to both kids. I just didn't know they kept telling them that "Dada" had visited them each day," he smiled at her.

Sharon walked over, and Andy wrapped his arms around her, "Does it bother you he called you that?" she asked, a bit sheepish.

"I love that he called me that, Sharon," he said as he kissed her quickly. "One of the best things I've ever heard, and I will never, ever hear it enough until the day I die."

Sharon nodded, "I'm so happy," she said again as Andy pulled her in closer.

Her text message pulled the two apart, and Sharon checked it, "Rusty said he was downstairs and would be right up," she explained.

"So, predications?" he asked.

Sharon nodded as she spoke, "Shock, I think. You said the two of you haven't eaten together much since he has had that new class on Monday nights."

Andy nodded, "Yeah, that's probably helped things for you and me. It hasn't been something I've had to discuss with Rusty because I haven't seen him much. Luckily, the topic is easy not to discuss on text message."

"Sharon, I'm home," Rusty said as he entered the condo. Sharon walked to the door to greet him.

"Rusty! Oh, it is so good to see you," she said as she hugged him. "I know I'm so happy you have some independence, but I miss you."

Rusty hugged her back, "Good to see you too," and as he glanced toward the dining room table, he saw the twins.

"Holy-," and he corrected himself, "I mean, wow, they've really grown. I guess I didn't realize how long it's been since I've been home."

Sharon nodded, as she put her arm around his shoulders, guiding him to the dining room and kitchen area, "Yes, a lot has been going on, even with you living here in the same city. For example,-" she stopped turning Rusty toward the kitchen where Andy was at the stove still cooking.

"Andy!" Rusty said a look of total shock on his face, "What's going- What's going on?" he said visibly confused.

Andy just shrugged it off like it was no big deal or nothing out of the ordinary for him to be cooking in Sharon's kitchen. Truth be told, two years ago, it hadn't been, but obviously, a lot had happened in the meantime.

"Hey Kid, good to see you. Well, since you now have class on Monday nights, we need to find a new night for dinner. Figured you would enjoy a home cooked meal," he smiled and winked at Rusty.

"Sharon, when did you two start-wait, what's going on? Are you two back together?" he asked.

"Dada!" alerted everyone that Tom was in the room and demanding some attention.

Rusty's eyes got big as he turned to Tom, "They're talking? Dada-really? How long has Andy been around? Do I have to ask Tom what's going on here?"

Andy rolled his eyes at Rusty and looked at him, "Rusty, yes, we've worked through everything, and we are back together. So, there, you won't have to say you come from another broken home," he smirked at Rusty.

Rusty stood there in shock, looking between the twins, Sharon and Andy.

"Rusty, we've been back together awhile. We just decided to keep it to ourselves and work on things. We had a lot to work through, and we didn't want interference or opinions from any of you," Sharon patted his shoulder as she walked back over to put more food on Faith's tray.

Rusty moved his finger between the two, "So, like how long? A couple weeks? A month?"

Andy just shrugged, "Since Thanksgiving."

Rusty's eyes grew wide again, "You're joking, right? How did I not know?"

Sharon shrugged, "We're detectives, good at our jobs. Rusty, we even kept it out of work this long. Now, sit, eat, and we can all talk. Just don't spill it to your older brother and sister, or Nicole or Tony for that matter. Seems as if we have seven kids, and well, you're now the third one to know what's going on."

Rusty sat, smiling at things, shaking his head, "I can't believe it."

Andy patted him on the shoulder as he put food on the table, "Believe it because Friday or Saturday night, whichever you aren't busy, you and Gus are babysitting, no discussion. Seems as if we need a chance to go out, and you Rusty are going to pay us back a little for the photos you texted Provenza way back when."


	25. Chapter 25

Date night would have been a great idea, but like most times, duty called. Days turned into a couple of weeks, and finally a break in cases had Sharon and Andy ready for a real date. It had been way too long since they'd had a date that didn't involve highchairs, mashed bananas, and sticky babies. It was May, and finally date night. The now eight month olds were staying at home with big brother Rusty. Gus had to work, and as Sharon got ready for her date, she chuckled listening to Rusty talk with the twins in the living room.

"Oh, my goodness! Faith, how can any one person smell that bad. Sharon, are you going to change her before you leave?" she heard Rusty as he was sounding like he was gagging from the living room.

Sharon chuckled and called out to him, "That's on you, Rusty. Andy and I have changed every other diaper. You can handle that one."

Rusty stopped in front of Sharon's door as he was carrying Faith back to change her, "You look nice," he said. "Where's Andy taking you?"

Sharon smiled at him, bouncing Faith, "Our favorite little Italian place. We haven't been there for ages," she smiled. "We won't be out late, so don't worry. I'll have you back to your social life before you know it. Thank you for watching them."

Rusty just nodded, "Sure. I'm happy things are working out, even if some of the other kids aren't so sure," he smiled. "Ricky is really glad, you know. Em said that she's staying out of things-that you made your own mess, and she hopes you can fix it, but she's not sure. I really hope she snaps out of her bitterness for you, Sharon," Rusty added.

Sharon sighed, "I know. Nicole is the same way. Tony has been fine too, but he's removed from most of this. I'm afraid the girls are both sad to have seen things fall apart for their parents and are afraid to trust that we just might have put them back together again," she smiled slightly.

Rusty nodded, "Well, I'm glad things are working out."

Andy's keys alerted the two that he had arrived. Sharon squeezed Rusty's shoulder as she headed toward the living room and Rusty went back to change Faith.

"Sweetheart, you look beautiful," Andy smiled warmly, noting Sharon's new deep purple dress. "That a new dress?"

Sharon nodded, "Yes, seems as if my nice 'datewear' doesn't fit right after those two," she nodded at what was on Tom on the floor playing. Rusty was still back with Faith.

Andy came up and put his arms around her, kissing her sweetly, "You look amazing," he whispered and winked. "You couldn't look any sexier to me. Sharon, regardless of what you think, you look amazing."

Sharon messed with his tie, "Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself, even if I will disagree with you about my weight and looks," she leaned up and pecked him on the lips, pulling back as they heard Rusty and Faith coming back down the hall. Faith saw Andy and squirmed in Rusty's arm, pointing, "Dada!"

Everyone chuckled, and Rusty spoke up, "Yeah, ahhh, clearly the whole twin talk thing is true. Only these two would it be their first words," he said as he put her back on the floor to play with Tom.

"Yeah, well, I'll take it, while meanwhile your Mom here is just jealous they like me better than her," he winked as Sharon swatted at him.

"Rusty, do I need to go over everything with you again?" Sharon asked, a note of worry in her voice. Instead, Andy pulled her toward the door and away from the twins.

"Bye Rusty, " Andy said, not letting Rusty and Sharon finish that conversation. "You know how to reach us if you need us. Thanks," he said as he waved and pulled Sharon out the door. He shut the door before Sharon could say anything more.

Sharon crossed her arms and frowned at him, as he chuckled at the sight.

"Yeah, yeah, let's see how long you are mad at me," he winked, as he leaned in and kissed her passionately. Sharon quickly forgot she'd left the twins with their big brother. He kissed along her neck and then quickly pulled back, "Let's eat," he winked as he grasped her hand and led her to the elevator.

"Let's eat?" she asked, still stunned from that kiss and a little flushed. "You kiss me like that and say let's eat?"

Andy looked at her dumbfounded, "Yeah, I mean, we have to eat," he winked. "We're on the clock-babysitter will grow impatient after awhile, and well, we can continue that back there, later when we get back home," he smiled.

Dinner went well; in fact, dinner went great. Sharon and Andy realized it had been a long time since they'd just been able to be Sharon and Andy. It felt normal to get out, eat, talk, and laugh, even if a lot of the conversation did steer back to the twins.

As they finished dinner, Andy suggested one of their old traditions, a walk on the beach. As they walked, they continued to talk.

"Sharon, I want to let you know that I'm really happy with how things are going," he smiled to her as he kissed the side of her head. "I think we've both done a lot of healing."

Sharon nodded, "I feel the same. I am still amazed you want to give all this a second chance because believe me, I know now that I come with even more baggage than before. Andy, you've been so amazing to Faith and Tom. It just-it's just something I can't even voice. Thank you for loving us," she smiled at him.

Andy stopped the two of them and turned to her, "Sharon, I do love you. I am certain of that, and I'm certain that in time, we'll be ready to make even more steps forward."

Sharon looked at him, taking in a deep breath, and nodding, "I want that too. More than anything."

As they kept walking, Andy started talking again, "Sharon, I know that before, before you took the job we were close to that final step of intimacy. In fact, I thought in my mind, we'd get engaged there in Florida, and that we'd both be ready for it there."

Sharon nodded, as he spoke. The topic was a tough one, but one they both needed to discuss. Sharon had thrown away years of a building relationship with Andy, one she'd put him off saying she wasn't ready for that final intimate step with him, only to trash him, and run to the first man she could find and completely do the opposite. She'd guarded her heart and herself from Andy for so long, the one man who had stood beside her, and she'd run to another man where she'd engaged in such intimate things, things she hadn't even yet with Andy. She knew this step was one that was going to take a lot of repair. Even for Sharon, this was going to require the upmost level of trust and commitment, one she was finally ready to admit she had. She'd let Jack and Steve into her life, both of whom had turned out to be "dirtbags" as Andy would have said. She had finally figured out the thing she wanted the most, the person she wanted the most was Andy, the one person who'd waited for her, who hadn't left her, who had been patient, who had been loving, and was now being everything she'd ever wanted in her life.

"So, what I'm asking or wanting to talk to you about-I'm not ready for that yet. I thought I was, but my head isn't there yet. I love you so much, more than you know, but I'm still having trouble getting all that, that messed up mess, out of my head. When I give myself to you, I want that out of my head, and I hope you understand, but I do want to at least take this step and be able to stay with you some at the condo. I want to be there for the kids when they get up, and not just as the guy dropping by. I want to hold you, to snuggle with you, and to just be around you more. I want that, and I hope that is something you'll consider."

Sharon stopped their walking and turned to Andy, "Thank you for telling me that. I know the scars are deep to heal, and I would love it very much if you want to stay over some. I think that is the next step in healing for both of us. I want you to be there too. I love you, and I miss you being close," she leaned up and kissed him. "I promise that I'm on board with our relationship 100%. I won't lose you or this again."

"Good," Andy grinned, "while we can discuss this more, let's go home and send the babysitter packing. I would very much enjoy waking up to the sound of those ducks in the morning."


	26. Chapter 26

"Good morning," he smiled as he snuggled her closer, "Today's the day," he smiled as he whispered into her ear.

"I can't believe they are one!" she said a little too excited for this early in the morning. Andy chuckled as he kissed her neck, "It's been quite the ride this year," he added.

"Mmmm, that it has," she smiled, "So, we made it to their one-year mark," she grinned, turning to face him.

"We did," he grinned at her, "I'm not sure if I'm more excited for the party or whatever else," he eluded.

"Well, I know both will be wonderful, but I have to admit your idea of waiting until they turned one for anything more between us," she eyed him, "was hard to hear, but you were right-a good goal," she smiled.

"So, you're saying I was right?" he whispered again, kissing her neck. "Well, it is technically their birthday today," he implied.

Sharon stalled his movements, "It is, but we also have a household of guests coming today. This," she indicated between herself and Andy, "as much as it pains me to say it, will have to wait. We've waited this long, so we can at least get through the party," she grinned.

"Is it wrong if I wrap the party up in an hour or less?" he smirked at her, as she got up and stretched.

"You will do no such thing. Those two, whom I might add, are probably about to wake up at any moment, deserve a nice party. We deserve a nice evening, and neither of those things will be rushed," she said firmly, grinning at him.

"Well, I guess we can wait a few more hours," as he was interrupted by the two babbling down the hall. "I think they're ready for their big day. I'll go get them up."

Sharon smiled as Andy moved quickly down the hall to get the kids. The past few months had truly been amazing. They'd gotten back on solid footing, and they had moved forward in their relationship on a much deeper emotional level. Since Andy had told Sharon he wanted to start staying with her and the kids at the condo, he'd spent about half his nights there, and they'd kept things at bay, deciding that they wanted to set a goal of the twins' birthday before they progressed any further with their physical relationship. Both agreed that they would assess things as it got closer to the twins' birthday, and that if either wasn't ready, they wouldn't move forward. Just the other night, Andy had told Sharon he'd finally gotten past the thoughts in his head.

"When I see you, I see the one woman I love more than anything. I don't see any of the hurt anymore. When I look at the twins, I see my kids-our kids-the kids we are raising together. Sharon, I know that it's been a long road, but I feel like I'm ready," he had admitted.

"Andy, I so want to be with you. Through everything, I am ready too. I've been overthinking things, and I'm done doing that. You're the only man I want. You are their dad, and I am sure that I want you," she had smiled, and the two had kissed as they sat talking on the couch a few nights prior. Now, here they were, August again, and it was time for a big birthday party.

The summer had passed quickly, which was good because it was hot in LA, very hot. Rusty had finished the year at school, still needing one more semester to graduate to fulfill all his pre-law classes. He had an internship starting with Andrea, and hopefully, in another year, he would be heading off to law school. After vacating his dorm room for the semester, Andy had offered him a place to stay at his house. Andy was rarely there anymore, and when he was, it was nice to be with Rusty. Rusty had jumped on the offer; if he couldn't stay with Sharon due to lack of space, Andy was easily the next best thing, the person who knew him almost as well as Sharon.

The twins had continued to grow, and now, one of Sharon and Andy's favorite activities with them was the crawling races they had setup. Each one would grab a baby and let the babies race down the condo hallway. It was hilarious to watch, especially when one or both would stop to look at their hands or do just about anything else. Faith had been the first to crawl; Tom still was first in language, but Faith had the first in everything else so far. Sharon and Andy were betting Faith would be the first to walk as well. Neither baby was yet, but they weren't far from it. They were currently able to stand and hold onto the coffee table, as they cruised around it. Walking would be yet another major change in the household. So far, breakable and such hadn't had to be moved. They'd only had to move anything at floor level due to the crawling, but Sharon and Andy felt the condo was about to change in appearance.

"I just can't tell you how excited I am about everything today," she smiled at Andy, as he stood in the doorway again. He was holding Tom, but Faith had kicked her way down to crawl around. She was currently standing at the end of the bed, moving along it, holding onto the furniture for support. Tom, the chill kid he was, was just enjoying hanging out with Andy. "I mean, Emily is coming today too! You have no idea how much it means to me she's coming for their birthday. I think it will mend fences quite a bit. I want her in her brother and sister's lives very much, as I do Ricky. I'm so glad he came down here last night."

Andy smiled and hugged Sharon as she walked toward him, kissing her head, "I know that things haven't been easy with them, but today, you get all five kids in the same house for a party. Amazing day, that's for sure," he winked.

"I'm glad the kids could stay at your place. Thank you for letting them stay there. I know Rusty has been there all summer, but it will be good for the three of them to be there together tonight," she smiled.

"Em's plane gets in at 1:00, right?" Andy asked.

Sharon nodded, "Yes, the boys are getting her and then heading over for the party. I just can't wait, Andy!" she squealed.

The morning continued as Sharon and Andy got things ready for the party. It was shaping up to be a nice family gathering, well, with much of the family. Nicole wasn't ready to see Sharon yet in this capacity. Instead, Sharon and Andy were going to take the twins to her house next week for a barbeque-progress, even if it was painfully slow. The team was coming, and since they'd found out about Sharon and Andy, they had mostly stayed out of it, knowing the two were on somewhat fragile ground working things out. Today would be the first day the team would be there, watching the family in action.

Provenza was the first to arrive, no surprise. The old guy loved the twins, as did Patrice. They'd watched them now for Sharon and Andy on a couple of occasions, both times initiated by Provenza.

"Flynn!" he had said a few weeks ago, "Listen, if Patrice and I don't find something to do this Saturday night, I think we're going to be forced to spend time with her family, so you'd better bring those babies over so we can watch them. You know, we need some excuse," he said, as he slyly smiled.

"Okay," Andy had nodded, "well, I don't want you to have to spend time with Patrice's family, so if it helps you out…" he had always finished.

That tactic had now been used a few times, and here today, it was no surprise that Uncle Provenza and Aunt Patrice came bearing gifts, a lot of gifts.

When the party had been discussed, it had taken almost no time to decide on the theme-1st Birthday with…ducks. Oh yes, the little ducks were turning one, and a full-fledged yellow duckling party was almost ready to start.

The guests continued to filter in, and soon, they were just waiting for Rusty, Ricky and Emily to arrive. Everyone was enjoying their time with the babies, chuckling at the two as they laughed at each other and followed each other around as they inched their way around the coffee table.

Soon, Sharon's eyes were drawn to the door, where Rusty entered. She almost ran over, excited to see Emily after so long. She hugged Rusty, and Ricky, before they both stopped her.

"So, Emily has a surprise," they nodded to Sharon.

"What? Where is she?" she asked, looking in the hall.

"She'll be right up," the nodded, moving into the house to alert Andy to Emily and her surprise.

Andy walked over, both twins in his hands, as they'd knocked head and cried it out a minute. They were currently happy now that he was playing with them.

"The boys said there's some surprise?" he asked.

Sharon shrugged, "Apparently. They said she'd on her way up. No idea why she didn't come up with them."

As they were talking, they missed hearing the elevator, and soon Emily was there, "Mom! Andy!" she grinned. "Oh, it's so good to see you. Look at these guys! Wow!" she smiled brightly. "Mom, Andy, I brought a surprise with me," she smiled again.

Sharon and Andy glanced at each other, no surprise in sight, "Emily, what's going on?"

"My boyfriend came with me," she admitted, eyes sparkling. "I know, I know. I haven't told you anything about him, but he's amazing. We've been dating about three months now, and well, this seemed like the perfect surprise. I wanted to tell you sooner, but well, I wanted to wait to see if it was getting serious. He's just so loving, and I can't wait. So, he came today," she clapped her hands, obviously very happy.

Sharon and Andy exchanged glances again, "Emily, that's wonderful!" Sharon exclaimed. "Where is he? We can't wait to meet him."

"Well, that's the crazy thing-hold on, let me get him and you'll see," she said as she walked back around the corner pulling him with her, "Mom, Andy, this is my boyfriend, Steve, but Mom, he said you two already knew each other because you'd worked together before."

 **A/N-Sorry about the trouble at the duck pond, but you knew this couldn't just be fluffy from here forward...I've been trying to get to this chapter forever. I have had this idea for quite a long time!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Wow! Thanks for the feedback on the cliffhanger chapter! I really appreciate it. I hope this chapter lives up to expectations.**

"Provenza!" Andy said with force and no question he was messing around. Andy stayed staring at the dirt bag in front of him as he watched Emily's face turn from absolutely thrilled to concerned. One look from Provenza to the scene in front of him, the recall of "he said you two already knew each other because you'd worked together a little before," and Provenza sprang into action. He grabbed Patrice, giving her a pleading look.

Provenza, pulling Patrice with him made it to the door in a matter of seconds, and he grabbed the twins from Andy, giving one to Patrice and handing one off to Nolan, who happened to be the closest one there. "Go, take them outside, please," he pleaded with Patrice, and Patrice seemed to catch on quickly.

"Dada, Dada," Tom reached for Andy when he realized Andy wasn't holding him anymore.

Sharon was still stunned, looking Steve in the eye as he grinned and shook his head when he heard Tom's plea. Emily was getting more and more worried, "Mom, you okay?"

"Hi Sharon, so lovely to see you again," Steve said, extending his hand to shake hers. Sharon noticed his other hand was on Emily's side moving up and down in a reassuring motion. Sharon refused to shake his hand, but instead said, "You have some nerve." Emily's eyes widened, not understanding the problem. The rest of the room looked at each other, and Julio made his way over to stand beside Provenza.

"Sir," Provenza whispered, "is this what I think it is?" he asked noting the situation.

"No doubt in my mind, Julio," he sighed.

Andy gripped Steve by the arm, dragging him to the couch area where members of the team moved out of the way. Ricky and Rusty were standing there, mouths open, wondering what was going on.

"Mom! What is wrong?" Emily said, visibly shaken now as she watched Andy haul Steve to the couch.

"I'd sit if I were you, dirt bag," Andy bellowed.

Sharon walked over to tower over Steve, who sat, no sigh of concern on his face, and instead to irritate everyone even more, turned to Emily, "Emily, beautiful, seems they aren't okay with the age difference after all," he flashed a smile at her. "Come, sit, and we'll tell them our story," he nodded to Emily. Emily walked tentatively to him, nodding and smiling slightly at him, as she sat, what Andy and Sharon thought, was way too close. Steve immediately interlaced their hands, and put them on Emily's leg.

"So, who's going to go first," Sharon said, sounding way too happy, but Andy and all those closest to her knew it was her incredibly fake voice. Both Andy and Sharon stood, arms crossed. Provenza and Julio moved to Andy's side, while Buzz and Amy stood by Sharon, all in interrogation stance. Mike stood behind the couch next to the boys where he muttered, "Holy crap!"

Ricky leaned in, "Lieutenant, what is going on?"

"Ahh, just listen," he encouraged.

"Mom, Andy, I know you are probably freaked out by the age difference, but we love each other. This has been such the surprise to both of us, but I have never been happier. I'm sorry we didn't tell you before now, but we talked about keeping it a surprise. Surprise," she shrugged.

"Are you done?" Sharon asked glaring at Emily and Steve, "because I would like for you to explain everything before I speak." Andy stood still, arms crossed next to her.

Emily eyed them both, as well as the rest of the team, "Mom, I am almost embarrassed for Steve. I told him you might be a little concerned about the age, but that it would be okay. You do know him. I absolutely adore him," she turned, smiling into his eyes. "He is an amazing, caring, loving man, and I am just so grateful we found each other," as Steve grinned at her and kissed her hand.

"So, Emily, just how did you meet?" Andy asked.

"I'm sorry, and you are?" Steve asked, knowing full well he was baiting Andy. "Emily didn't mention a stepfather, just that her parents were divorced.

"Stepfather-NOT YET," Andy glared down at the happy couple with a dead serious tone, "but you know very well who I am."

"Andy! Please!" Emily pleaded.

Steve rubbed his hand on Emily's leg, a move that made Sharon flinch before he spoke, "Funny story," he chuckled, "I saw Emily dance, one night at the ballet, and I was hooked," he continued his hand motions, leaning over and kissing her. Emily returned the kiss, smiling st Steve. Sharon knew this was going to be even harder than she imagined; Emily was in deep.

"Oh, he tried to charm me that night, taking me to dinner, but I resisted for awhile before he just wore me down," she grinned at him, as he smiled back at her. "I first met him back at Christmas-that was the ballet he saw, our Christmas production, but over time, his charm won me. We've now been together-gosh, longer than I thought-Babe, it's now been over four months-early April!" she grinned at him.

"Time flies when you are having fun," he winked at Emily. The team had been very quiet through all of this, Ricky and Rusty still trying to figure out why everyone was having such a major freak out.

Sharon nodded, "I see, so Steve," she turned, "just what did you tell Emily about knowing me?" she glared.

"Well, I told her we worked well together," he grinned, "very well, Sharon, in fact, we were amazing," he eluded.

"Still married, Steve?" Sharon asked bluntly, choosing not to comment on his sleazy insinuations, and with that, Ricky and Rusty glanced at each other, getting a sense of why their mom was so irritated.

"Now, Sharon, come on," Steve shook his head, "oh, and by the way, beautiful children-those were you two whom you sent away quickly, right?" he flashed a smile at her.

Sharon chose to ignore that, "You heard me-still married? You show up here, hands all over my daughter. Are you still married?

"I believe she needs an answer," Andy spewed.

Steve raised his hand, "Divorced. I'm divorced. It was finalized in June," he nodded, and Emily smiled.

"So, you were dating our Emily, here, while you were still married?" Andy barked again.

"They were separated!" Emily jumped in. "Mom, Andy, it's okay. I am fine with it. We have no secrets. I knew he was separated, and that partly why I didn't go out with him at first. Mom, my goodness, you should understand separated. You were for years! Then, he explained that even though he tried, that they just couldn't stay married, even for the kids."

"Ahh, yes, kids," Sharon commented, "and, how many would you have, Steve?"

"My ex-wife and I have two," he explained. "My first wife and I had one," he finished.

"Mom, what are you doing? I know all this. This isn't meant to be the inquisition. He is most a suspect, not open for interrogation," she yelled. "He's a good man, with an incredible job, and he's an amazing father. I adore his children. This isn't your life; I'm not the one starting a new family at 50, goodness."

"Emily, watch your mouth," Andy barked. "Respect your mother," Andy said pointedly.

"Seriously!" Emily yelled back, "You are judging this?"

"Listen, now, Emily Raydor," Sharon started and the team glanced at each other. They knew the voice, well, very well. Stop talking and listen-Did you think to ask, or Steve did you care to explain, the nature of our relationship?" she said pointedly.

Emily looked up, now almost confused, "You two worked together, right? Steve, Baby?"

"We did, Em. Look, I didn't want to get into it, but your mom and I were ahh, well, briefly involved. No big deal," he shrugged. "I love you, and we are together," he caresses her arm.

Emily's eyes grew wide, as did Ricky and Rusty's behind her. The three of them were finally putting the pieces together.

"You and Mom?" she indicated by nodding toward Sharon.

"Well, yeah, but I only have eyes for you," he kissed her cheek. "Ancient history."

"Just how did you meet Emily? Track her down, find her in the ballet? You know, in law enforcement, we call that stalking," Andy glared.

"Listen, how I met her is none of your business!" he said.

"Oh, but it is," Andy added, "especially when you more than likely stalked her to get to her mother, and to get Emily into bed!" Andy bellowed. "And, let's not forget that you were still very much married when you knew Sharon."

"Andy, that's none of your business!" Emily said.

"You still don't seem worried about how he and I were involved, Emily," Sharon said almost too calmly. "I'd like you to think very carefully about everything that had transpired over the course of the last almost two years and pair that with your comment about what a great father he is," Sharon added.

The boys could be heard saying, "Oh, no, he's not," as they stood there, embarrassed, with their heads down.

Emily's eyes said it all, "Tom and Faith's dad? No, you said he was someone you met through work who eluded he was divorced and immediately jumped just to sign over his parental rights."

Sharon and Andy shared a glance. The rest of the team looked down, almost feeling awkward, but knowing they needed to be there for support and possibly to restrain Andy.

"Steve?" Emily looked at him, "Is it true?"

Steve waved off his hand, "Look, I didn't want that kind of relationship with your mom-kids, family. She and I-well, that was just a few cities thing. I told you that I want a life with you. Your mom, that was just, well, whatever. The kids aren't mine."

"Aren't yours?" Sharon glared. "You're right; they aren't yours. You signed off that right before they were even born, one which I have all the paperwork."

"Steve, why, why didn't you tell me?" Emily asked. "I loved you," she said tears in her eyes. "Mom, you and Steve?" she nodded. "Andy, you knew about him?"

"Of course, I did!" Andy bellowed again, as Sharon grabbed for his hand that he now had at his side, "I've known all this all along."

"Let me now say what I think of you, Steve," Sharon said, hand still in Andy's. "Oh, you're a charmer, and you like to elude information, leave out details, just like you eluded to me you were divorced. I was wrong, VERY, VERY wrong to get involved with you. I know that. It almost ruined the best part of my life," she squeezed Andy's had tighter. "Then, to jump at the chance to get rid of your own children-that is a new piece of low, a new kind of scum. Not even a blink of an eye, and all responsibility of yours is gone, never mind that you put all that on me. They are wonderful, wonderful children, but that is absolutely no doing of yours. This man, here," she nodded at Andy, "has been their father since before they were even born. He held them from Day 1; he has taken care of them tirelessly over the last year, and he has provided for them in anything they need. Most of all, he loves them without question and unconditionally. You, Steve, have sunk to a new low, targeting my daughter as another one of your conquests. You aren't even worth the effort here, so I am telling you that you are not welcome in my-you are not welcome in our home. Leave now!" she said firmly.

Emily looked back and forth to her mom and Steve, standing with him, "I'm coming with you. I want to talk to you," she said, turning to Sharon, "Mom, he's not like that. I don't know what happened with you-maybe he wasn't sure if they were his, but he's not that man."

Steve nodded to her, almost agreeing with her, and he held onto her hand as the two went to the door.

Sharon wanted to jump out and stop Emily, but she knew her grown daughter was as stubborn as she was, "Emily, he's a dirt bag, as some might say," she gathered her voice as Andy squeezed her hand, "I hope you know that as your mother, I love you more than anything, and every single word I just said was the truth."

"Great seeing all of you, really," Steve said totally sarcastic. "My beautiful girlfriend and I will get out of your hair, and oh, Sharon, I hope those kids of yours have a lovely birthday. Sorry, no gift from me; we were traveling light on the plane and all," he shrugged.

 **A/N-As much as it would be fitting for Andy to punch the guy out, Andy's better than that. He knows he has a lot to lose, and he's not going to waste that on a dirt bag. Plus, Sharon is the only person who can calm him down, something I tried to show here. I also wanted to note that I thought a lot about how Emily was to be portrayed, and you have to remember, she's not been on the best of terms with Sharon this past year. She has convinced herself she's in love with the dirt bag, so right now, she's torn between believing this guy she claims to love and her mother, who in her eyes, has not been the mother she's proud of right now. Hope that helps to explain my thinking...**


	28. Chapter 28

"I'm not done," Andy bellowed as Steve tried to make his creepy getaway. Steve tried to go, but Emily, who was holding his hand stopped and turned around to face him.

"Andy, there's nothing more to say," she shrugged.

"Oh, there sure is, you betcha," he started, "I've held my tongue, but now it's my turn. I should haul you outside and go at you and then let my friend, Julio, have a turn. That's what I should do. That's what my anger right now tells me would feel good, but no, I'm not going to do that. First, I'm an officer of the law, and I'm not going to do something to some dirt bag that would get me in trouble at work. My bosses are standing right here," he shook his head. "Second, I won't give you the time of day, spending any more time with you than I have to. How dare you? How dare you involve yourself in my family's life. You disgust me. Yes, I know, you didn't do anything illegal in the eyes of the law; oh, how I wish we could arrest you, but you're a different kind of scum. You cheated on your wife, when you led Sharon to believe you were divorced. Heck, you preyed on her with stories of crappy spouses, you knowing that would leave her vulnerable. I'm not making her innocent; we've spent over the last year working through all of that to be here where we are today. No, but you, you think that your behavior is okay, even cute and fun. Third, you recklessly abandoned your responsibilities when you were confronted about them. You know what-I'm glad you did only because those two will never have to know what a creep you are. Those two get a good shot at life because they'll have a father who loves them and would give them the world. Emily, I know you had a crappy dad, but know this from me-I've loved you for years, and there's nothing I wouldn't do to protect you, your sister, or your brothers. Loving Sharon means loving all of you, no strings attached, and I took that on years ago. Think about what you are doing with this dirt bag. Look around the room at all these people who have known you, loved you for years, and realize we are all on the same side. Don't let this dirt bag manipulate you anymore. We can all see he is a predator; he found you, wormed his way into your life, and look where you are now. What, you think after two marriages, he's a great catch?" Andy turned to Provenza and muttered quietly, "Sorry, trying to get a point across," to which Provenza rolled his eyes and Andy turned back to her, "Emily, you've been disgusted by your dad's behavior for years; yet, you've run straight into the arms of a man, a much older man I might add, who repeats many of the same behaviors of your father-cheating, younger women, no regard for moral responsibility. So, you decide Emily-your family loves you; that dirt bag doesn't. He abandoned your brother and sister; he'll do the same to you."

"Sorry we came. Andy, you're one who should know people can change," she shrugged, and she nodded to Steve, and they turned and left. The room was then silent.

Andy turned to Sharon, and she had covered her face. The team moved quickly to the kitchen area to dismantle the party; it had been ruined.

"Mom, I am so sorry," Ricky came right over, his face ghostly white. Andy had his arm around Sharon, as she stood there, shaking her head.

"Sharon, why didn't you tell us?" Rusty said.

Sharon looked at Andy, and she looked at the boys, "Boys, you know I've made some terrible mistakes the last couple years, and Andy and I have both worked hard to deal with all of them. The last thing I wanted to do for any of us was dig up all of that. Who he was, wasn't important, at least I didn't think it would ever be," she shook her head. "Where are the twins?" she asked looking around.

Andy leaned in and whispered in her ear as he held her close, "They are fine. Provenza just went downstairs to find them. Patrice and Nolan have them, and you don't have to worry. Patrice, I'm sure took good care of them, and Nolan will guard them with his life."

Sharon nodded, as she looked at the boys again, "I'm so sorry my mess has disrupted all of our lives," she grabbed hold of both boys' hands. "I am trying to pick up the pieces, Andy and I together. I don't know if your sister ever will recover."

"I'm just so sorry," Ricky said again, "Honestly, we had no idea. We thought you'd be mad about the age thing, but Emily said you'd worked together, so we assumed that would go in her favor. We had no clue. I'm sorry you had to deal with him, with all that. Mom, I should have been here. Andy, you're a good man-a great man to work through all this with her, and I'm just sorry it's taken me this long to realize that instead of judging you Mom, I should have been here to help you."

Sharon teared up at Ricky's admission; she and Rusty were on good footing. The two of them had talked things through during the year, but this, from Ricky, was a big step. She moved to hug Ricky, pulling him in tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered to him, "I am sorry this has been a mess, but I love you dearly. Always will. I hope that if anything good comes out of this mess, it is that you will try to build a relationship with your brother and sister. They are going to need you, Rusty, and even Emily. Andy and I want that for them; we want them to have all their siblings in their lives."

The two broke apart when they heard Patrice, Provenza, and Nolan entering with the kids. Sharon moved to them quickly and scooped them up, "I'm just going to change them," she nodded to everyone, and Patrice met Andy's eye and nodded to Andy. She followed Sharon.

Provenza made his way over to Andy, "Flynn, that guy was a new level of low, even for the creeps we see every day," he shook his head. "What is Emily thinking?"

Andy sighed, "She's not. She's thinking she's in love with some wonderful man. She'll see he's a dirt bag, just don't know how much damage will be done then."

Provenza shook his head, "Well, I didn't see him downstairs, her either. Patrice and Nolan were in the condo's common room. The kids were fine."

"What a mess," Andy shook his head and sighed, "ruined their day. Those two have had enough of a rough start. Just when we thought things were getting on track."

"Yeah, well, since everything else has rubbed off on me from the captain, seems only appropriate her sense of occasion has as well. We'll make it up to her, to the twins," he patted Andy's hand as he walked toward the kitchen to help the team clean up.

"I tried texting Em, but she won't answer," Ricky said. "You know, Rusty and I could go back to your place and see if she's there?" he offered.

"Well, I don't think she's there, but your mom might want some space. Now, I mean it when I say that we both love you guys-yeah, the mushy stuff you don't want to hear, but it's true. Your mom will be better if you give her an hour or so. Tell you what-it's mid-afternoon-let her regroup, and then let's all meet here for dinner. That is one thing she will enjoy-dinner with you boys. We'll spend the evening together because if I know one thing about your mom it's that she hates to see her children in a mess. When that's happening, she'll draw close to her kids who are here. She needs you tonight."

The boys nodded, "We'll be back later, and we'll bring dinner."

Andy patted them both on the shoulder as they left, took a deep breath, and went to help his friends. They'd certainly helped him today.


	29. Chapter 29

It was quiet. Sharon stopped rocking in the chair when she realized that Faith had fallen asleep. What a long weekend it had been, and things were still such a mess. Sharon heard Faith sigh, her little baby sigh, and she smiled, as she rubbed her back. Teething again. It had awakened here, but thankfully, Tom wasn't bothered by it-that sweet boy. He was always happy. Faith was the impatient one, even while teething. Tom seemed like a gumming mess, drooling everywhere, but still smiling. Faith was always wound up, frustrated, and the teething clearly got to her. Sharon stood, shifting Faith so she could put her back down in her crib to sleep again. Hopefully, it wouldn't be a long night; it had already been a really long weekend.

Sharon walked back out to the living room where her guys all sat, well, all but Tom. Oh, how she loved all these men in her life. They'd been worried about her, about Emily, all weekend, but it was now out of everyone's hands. No one had spoken to Emily since the party; Ricky and Rusty had both tried to call. Sharon and Andy had both sent her text messages, but she was clearly showing her decision-making skills; she'd decided to go with the dirt bag. Sharon and Andy had discussed it at length, late into Saturday night, and even some during the day today when the boys weren't around. They didn't understand how she could make such a dumb decision, but they were both reminded of the dumb decisions they had made in their own lives. In some twisted way, then, they did understand it. When you were in the middle of a mess and didn't see it as a mess, it was hard to dig your way out. Just like addictions and the like, you yourself are the only one who can decide to change. Andy could relate; no matter how much his friends and family had tried to tell him to stop drinking, it had taken a decision from him, and him only, to actually make that change. No amount of talk or reason from others could make him change. Sharon had dealt with a similar situation with Jack. She'd known what he was like, and no amount of encouragement from others could make her divorce him; that had to come from herself. Honestly, the same could be said with her idiotic fling with Steve. She had to wake up and realize she'd thrown the best part of her life away before she could begin to repair the damage. Sharon and Andy just wondered how much damage Emily would inflict before she saw the light. Unfortunately, she seemed to have more of Jack's destructive side than anyone cared to admit. Jack was still in his mess after years and years of refusing to see the damage. They hoped Emily didn't go down that path, that she had enough of Sharon in her to fight back and dig out.

"She asleep?" Andy asked, looking up as she entered the room, and opening his arm up for Sharon to come and sit next to him.

"Yes," she smiled, "teeth again."

"She and Tom are really amazing, Mom," Ricky nodded to her. He and Rusty were perched in the orange chairs, and they had all just finished watching a movie when Faith had awakened. Since then, the news had come on, and now, they were enjoying the quiet while still talking. "I know I've not treated you well this past year, and I'm sorry. I guess I didn't react well; I held your life choices against you. What happened is between you and Andy, and I can see that you have both worked hard to get back to this point. I'm really happy for you guys, and I promise that I'm going to do a better job with everything."

Andy squeezed Sharon's hand, and Sharon nodded at Ricky, "Thank you," she said, getting a bit emotional. "I love all of you so much. I know this was a mess, but we've addressed everything, and Andy and I are very happy now. We're in a good place. We love all of you kids."

Ricky nodded. Rusty listened. Ricky spoke up again, "Andy, I've always respected you, but thanks for taking on our crazy family. Thanks for being such a good dad for Faith and Tom. Rusty and I both know what it's like to have a crappy dad, so it really is great you're here for them, and that you'll see them grow up. Rusty and I talked, and we want to be better big brothers than we have been to them. We're going to be around more, promise."

"Yeah, we're going to have to be around more, you know," Rusty jumped in, a sly grin on his face. Obviously, he had something snarky to say, "We'll need to beat the boys off Faith with a stick as she gets older, but by then, Andy will be so old, he can just use his cane to beat them off."

Sharon and Andy rolled their eyes, and both turned to give Rusty a sarcastic glance, while Ricky started to chuckle.

"What?" Rusty said, acting surprised, "Andy, you are old, you know. Like it's going to be embarrassing if you need a walker when they graduate from high school. I may not sit with you then," he nodded his head toward Andy.

Andy sighed and looked up, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry their party was ruined. Glad you are doing a do-over next weekend. Sorry I can't make it," Ricky changed topics.

"Yeah, Sharon, sorry that I have that chess tournament next weekend. I'd change it, but" he started to say, but Sharon waved him off.

"No, both of you-it's fine. Yes, we'll do a small party next weekend. Provenza, Patrice, and I think Julio for sure are coming. It will be nice-just a little gathering. They're one; they won't remember it. I appreciate you were both here this weekend," she smiled.

"Well, as much as I hate to say it, we need to get going. It's almost midnight now, and I've got to catch that early flight to get home and back to work in the morning," Ricky said as everyone stood. "Andy, take care of everyone, and thanks for letting me stay at your place," he shook Andy's hand. The four all said their good-byes, and as they were walking the boys to the door, Andy's phone went off.

"Seriously," he muttered, and he stepped away and could be heard taking down details.

"You sure you're okay here tonight, Mom? Sounds like Andy is heading to a crime scene," Ricky asked.

Sharon rolled her eyes, "I'll be fine. Andy's not even here all the time, even though he's been here a lot more lately. I manage just fine with the kids, but thank you," she hugged him again. "Rusty, we'll see you for dinner soon," she added.

Sharon cleaned up while Andy finished on the phone, and he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, "Glad the boys are doing better with things," he said as he kissed her head.

"Hmmm, I am too. Can't believe Emily, but if anything good had to come out of that confrontation, the boys do seem to understand. So, crime scene," she asked, pulling back to look at Andy.

He nodded, as he leaned in to kiss her again, "Yes, as usual, the worst timing," he winked. "I'm going to stop by my house and get changed. I know I have a couple suits here, but the crime scene isn't far from my house. I'll make sure the boys got back there okay too."

Sharon nodded, "Thank you for checking on them. Be safe, and I'll see you sometime tomorrow at work. I'll expect your updates," she grinned, knowing that Provenza's tactic months ago to have Andy call her with all the updates was now her favorite excuse to talk to Andy during work."

"Oh, don't you worry; you'll get the updates. Can't make the boss mad," he winked. "Kiss the kids for me in the morning. Love you," he kissed her again and then left.

Sharon arrived at work the next morning, ready for the latest update on the case. Andy had spoken to her twice during the night, apologizing for having to wake her, but truth be told, she wasn't sleeping well. Emily was still on her mind. She texted her again that morning, the same text she had now sent her Saturday, and Sunday-"Know that I love you." The text showed it had been delivered, but not read, so Sharon had no idea if Emily was even looking at her messages. Emily was spiraling down a deep path, but she only had herself to blame. Sharon had spent a lot of her sleepless night thinking about just how much she loved Andy and how glad that both of them, while had spiraled out of control, had found their way back to each other. Their weekend "plans" had been put on hold with the Emily mess; both wanted to wait than to have anything related to Steve on their minds. Sharon and Andy knew the love they had; it wasn't going anywhere, and really, it was only growing, and Sharon felt like soon they really needed to discuss their future. The babies cramped in the condo-it would have been fine for Sharon as a single mom, good actually, but since her future was looking much brighter than it had a year ago, Sharon felt that a discussion would need to happen at some point. The two-home issue, the space issue would all need to be addressed.

"Chief Raydor," she said as she answered her office phone.

"Hi Sweetheart," Andy said into the phone. Sharon chuckled at that. Andy had taken her by surprise. She hadn't expected to be greeted with a "Hi Sweetheart" on her office phone, but they both were at the office.

"Hello Lieutenant Flynn. What can I do for you? It's not your extension, so I'm assuming it is you calling-not many can get away with calling the chief "Sweetheart."

Andy chuckled, "Yeah, sorry. I'm just in electronics. Listen, we're still working the case, kind of at a stall right now waiting on some warrants, but Provenza said if you wanted to stop by, we'll give you the update. You know, Taylor always used to lurk around, waiting for an update. It's kind of refreshing to ask you to come to us for one."

Sharon smiled, "Well, I trained all of you well, you know."

Andy chuckled, "Seems like we all remember it the other way around. Anyways, does an update fit into your schedule?"

Sharon nodded as she spoke, "Yes, that's fine. Tell Provenza I'll be there in about 15 minutes; I'm just finishing up some paperwork I have to sign off on and send out."

"See you then," he answered and hung up.

Sharon finished her paperwork and walked over to Major Crimes. She liked her current job, but she really did miss her team. She missed the daily interaction, their bather, their closeness. Most of the time now, she spent her days alone, and while that was fine, she still missed it.

"Surprise!" they all said when she walked in. The Murder Room had been transformed into a one year old birthday party, with the two stars fresh from daycare.

"What's all this?" she smiled looking around. The team had a new cake, all the presents, and the decorations setup around the room. The rest of the police force would double over laughing if they saw how Major Crimes was currently decorated with yellow ducklings everywhere. Both kids were in Andy's arms, and when they spotted Sharon, both got smiles on their faces. Faith reached toward her calling out, "Mama!"

Sharon chuckled as she walked over to Andy, holding the kids, where he was grinning, "Yeah, we might have taught you a few things, but your sense of occasion has rubbed off on us too," he winked.

Sharon reached for Faith who was trying to claw her way out of Andy's arms anyway. Tom was still just smiling and drooling. Sharon turned to the group, holding Faith, and simply said, "Thank you."

"Captain, I swear if any picture of me at a one year old duck party hits The Facebook or The Instagram, I won't let you live it down," Provenza waved a finger at her. The room laughed.

"Ma'am, we couldn't let the kids think that birthday parties were a bad thing. I mean, it's their first one. If you ruin it now, it will scar them for life," Julio smiled.

"Thank you all," she nodded, "from the bottom of my heart. It means so much. Andy and I are so blessed to have all of you in our crazy life. Thank you for not giving up on me, on us," she smiled.

"Flynn! Are you going to cut that cake or not? I skipped Patrice's healthy breakfast she packed me for that cake. I'm starving!" Provenza ranted.

"Well, we're on a tight deadline with the boss," Andy grinned looking at Sharon, "so, yeah, I'll cut it. We already had one dirt bag ruin the party; we aren't going to let some murder ruin it this morning."


	30. Chapter 30

"Lieutenant Provenza, please send Lieutenant Flynn down here. Thank you," Sharon said into her phone, with a sharp edge to her voice and hung up not waiting for a reply. She sat back down, waiting for him, thinking of what a lovely little party they had earlier in the day. Oh, that team, and Andy-they'd been so sweet to plan that, to bring the kids up from daycare, to have all the presents. In the wake of the mess of her life, that was such a sweet sentiment. Now, she sat waiting.

"Flynn, you've been summoned," Provenza rolled his eyes, looking toward Andy's desk.

"She called you and not me?" he asked.

Provenza shrugged his shoulders, and gave him a look, "Go, find out," he waved him off. Andy stood and proceeded with caution to Sharon's office. He threw a wave to her secretary, not even stopping to knock. He'd been summoned; he'd go in without knocking, even if it was the chief's office.

Sharon looked up at him as he entered; she didn't expect he'd knock either. He didn't normally, well, unless it was the middle of the day and was worried she was actually in a meeting.

"Andy," she stated with some force, as she looked to him.

"Yes, Chief?" he asked, rocking on his heels with his hands in his pockets.

Sharon tried to keep her stern face, but once her eyes met his, she melted. She smiled warmly at him, "I'm really hoping this isn't something from Robbery/Homicide," she nodded to him.

Andy shrugged, "Well, then, you probably should call Robbery/Homicide up here to ask them," he said sarcastically.

"Hmmm, well, I decided to start with Major Crimes. Seems as if I have a hunch it's the right department to start with regarding this matter. Always been fond of them anyways," she shrugged.

Andy nodded as he stepped closer, "Well, we've all come a long way. When you took over, we did resist a little, but soon-some of us sooner than others-we found we couldn't live without you-still can't, so it's a good thing you're just down the hall. I've been told that I have a history of not following the rules," he nodded and continued, "so, I decided that today would be no different. Rule has been our personal relationship doesn't interfere with work," he acted like he was thinking, looking pensive. "Today," he shrugged, "thought I'd break the rules. Plus, that," he nodded, "needed a new home. Getting too dusty at my place."

Sharon just nodded trying to keep it together, "I should have said yes two years ago."

Andy took another step toward her, "I won't argue with that, but in a twisted way, we might not have those ducks."

Sharon laughed at that, wiping her face, "You're sure?"

Andy took another step toward her, now just a couple from her, "I'm sure. I'm most definitely sure, but it can sit there and stare at you until you are. I've stared at it enough, wishing and hoping, reliving, and well, it needs to move on."

Sharon nodded, "I don't want to run the risk of it being turned into evidence or something even worse. I mean, it is a police station-could get stolen," she met his eyes and grinned.

"There's no rule against it; I already checked, several times," Andy said trying to put her at peace.

"I know," she smiled. "I wrote the rules."

He smiled as he looked down, and Sharon continued, "Officially, Pope will have to sign your reviews. He's the only one over me," she shrugged.

He nodded, "Good thing I've always gotten along with Pope. Should have clarified my feelings for you to him long ago, but," he shrugged.

"You are the best father I could have ever imagined for the twins," she smiled, wiping her eyes again.

He nodded again, "They seem attached-to both of us. Gotta keep them happy. Hate to see Tom lose his amazing smile, and well, Faith, I don't want to tick her off any more than she already is about those teeth."

"I had been thinking we needed to discuss the closet situation," she nodded.

Andy looked up, not following, "Closet situation?"

Sharon waved her hand, "Yes, there's simply no more room. The closet, and all the walls attached to it, are going to have to go."

Andy grinned, "Well, I can't argue with that. It's your closet."

Sharon nodded, as she looked down, "Well, then, Fine," she smiled brightly looking at him, giving him the same answer that had started this whole thing years ago.

Andy took the last two remaining steps to Sharon, put his arms on her face, and kissed her deeply. She smiled as she returned the kiss, "I was really hoping that wouldn't sit on your desk, staring up at you for long," he grinned. "I'm tired of looking at it, sad and alone. It belongs with you. I couldn't run the risk of doing all this like before, so I hope you're okay with it this way. It just seemed to fit."

Sharon kissed him again as she looked into his eyes, "Thank you. Thank you for trusting me, for believing in me, for loving me. I love you so much. Thank you for giving all of this mess a second chance."

Andy leaned in and kissed her again, pulling her tightly toward him, "I'm never going to let you go. Ever. Can you please put me out of my misery?" he gave her a sad smile.

Sharon laughed out loud, covering her mouth with her hand, "Yes," she said as she nodded, "but I only want part of that," she waved.

Andy looked a little confused, before Sharon continued, "I'd like the ring; you can keep the box. Seems as if you've carried it this long, you can have the box as long as I get the ring."

Andy grinned, grabbing the box, the box that he'd put on Sharon's desk by her phone-on the desk, but just off to the side, almost out of the way. Sharon had taken the twins back to the daycare while the team had cleaned up from the party. It had given Andy the perfect opportunity to slip in and place the box. He was hopeful, but knew that when she was ready, she'd wear it. Honestly, it wouldn't have surprised him to just see her show up in the Murder Room with it on; they'd already messed up a proposal once before, and he wasn't about to do it again. So, as he'd started plotting the last few weeks, he'd decided leaving it for her in plain sight, where she could make that final decision was the best way, the Sharon way-no pressure, but feelings clear, intent clear. This had gone better than the image he had in his head.

The two kissed for a few more seconds before Andy put his head against Sharon's. He'd slipped the ring on her hand, and she held it now between them against his chest, "This isn't about the weekend, you know."

She nodded, "I know. This is about us. I love you."

"I love you, so, so much," he whispered as he kissed her head, "and I love our family, our kids."

Sharon grinned, "They love you, and I swear Faith has your temper."

Andy chuckled, "Well, who said you can't teach emotions? She's got your beautiful looks, so I'd say that's a good combo. And Tom," he shook his head, "something tells me he's got his big brain in there silently thinking and plotting, already smarter than both of us combined," he grinned.

Sharon chuckled, "He's got your charm, and I swear he watches you grin because that looks more and more like your grin."

"Seems like we have a pretty great family," he kissed her again. "You've made me so happy, Sharon."

Sharon smiled at him, "You've made me want to live again. Despite the issues we still have with some of the kids, the mess one in particular has still created, I want to live out every single day of the rest of my life with you."

Andy nodded as he stepped back, "Good, because that's going to have to wait," he said as he took another step backward. "If I don't get back to work, I'll never hear the end of it from Provenza, and well, he'll probably report me to his boss, who coincidently can't handle my paperwork anymore, which would then land on the Chief of Police's desk. I don't want that."

"Get back to work, Lieutenant," she scolded.

"Sure thing, Chief," he said as he saluted and then winked before he left. "If we can wrap this up, I'll see you at home later."

Sharon laughed at that, hoping they certainly did finish the case and quickly. Maybe this mess was finally settling down.


	31. Chapter 31

**Thanks for all the wonderful feedback; you guys are awesome! Here's the next installment, and for those of you asking about "Crash Landing," I am working on it. I need to get into "Ella mode," which is quite the adventure.**

Andy flopped onto the couch, almost disturbing Sharon who was already sitting there, head against the back of the couch. She raised her eyebrow and looked over at him.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "he's back asleep," he sighed.

"Who would have guessed Tom would have trouble in a new house?" she sighed. "Please talk to him and explain his new room is a good thing," she closed her eyes again, "I'm exhausted."

Andy chuckled, "You and me both. I tried telling Tom that, but he seemed intent on crying. Told him I had plans to construct a swing set for him, and that seemed to help. It does baffle me that after coming over here so often, he was so upset about their new room. Same crib, same bedding, same sister in the room-just a different room, and he was a wreck. Take note-laid back Tom doesn't like change."

Sharon chuckled, eyes still closed, and she shifted so that her feet were now on Andy's lap, and she got situated and closed her eyes again. Andy began rubbing her feet, "Well, at least the condo is empty."

"Yeah, who'd have thought the day you put it on the market, there'd be a full price cash offer," he chuckled. "Well, at least we had a place to live."

"Hmm," Sharon hummed, "indeed. The longer drive to work is going to be the biggest adjustment," she stopped talking. Andy turned to her waiting for the rest of the conversation, "but," she said as she opened her eyes and smiled at him, "totally worth it."

"Well, as long as that doesn't bother you, I'm glad you were okay with moving to my house. Good yard, remodeled the kitchen a few years ago, a closet twice the size of your old one, just need to update the kids' bathroom. Plenty of room so when they are old enough and not terrified to be separated, they can have their own rooms," he smiled.

"Plus, as you said, the house is paid off," Sharon grinned, "Obviously, I was all about the money."

"Takes one to know one," he nodded to her, "I believe you made quite a profit on the condo."

"WE did," she grinned. "Kids are only one, and they are set for college," she sighed.

Andy continued rubbing her feet, both eyes closed, exhausted. The past month had been a whirlwind. Since they had gotten engaged, they had told all the kids, put the condo on the market, and now, they were all settling into Andy's house. He had told Sharon he would be okay with finding a new home, but she also knew how much he loved his house. It was a quiet neighborhood and cozy. He had a workshop in the garage where he liked doing woodworking projects, small ones. He'd done a lot of updates to the house, and one of the biggest things that sold Sharon was the yard. He had a great yard for Tom and Faith to grow up in, to have a swing set, to be kids.

"I have to admit," she said after several moments of silence, "that your idea to take a day off and move everything, specifically to assemble the cribs was a good one." She opened her eyes to gauge is reaction. She was greeted with his eyes twinkling back at her.

"What was that, Chief? I had a good idea?" he smirked.

She kicked toward him in jest, "I have to admit when I saw the vacation leave come across my desk-one for both you and Provenza-I almost denied it. Nothing good seems to happen when you put Flynn plus Provenza together on a day off."

"Hey!" he said jokingly, "let us not forget you agreed to be a Flynn, actually all three of you," he smiled at her. "Plus, it's been quite awhile since Provenza and I have come across any dead bodies."

"Hmm," she hummed, "well, I may have been lured under false pretenses-the whole agreeing for the three of us to become Flynns-your weak argument that it was shorter and easier for the kids to spell than Raydor," she grinned. "Still, that was a good idea about the cribs. Provenza didn't have to take a day off to help move the cribs, but at least they are setup, and the twins can get a good night's sleep. Provenza's a good friend, always has been, even if he doesn't want to admit he loves those kids. Thank you, too, for dealing with the moving stuff. I know I finished cleaning the condo tonight while you were on kid duty, but you dealt with the boxes and furniture."

"You are welcome, but the Chief probably doesn't want to know that the team came and helped with the rest of the furniture during our lunch break," he added.

"Best not tell the Chief that," she nodded. "It exhausts me even thinking about all the stuff I still need to unpack. You'd think we moved across the country."

Andy shrugged, "Hey, a move is a move. Three of you moved everything you own here, plus a lot of Rusty's stuff. It will take some time, plus, we've spent a lot of time prior to this going through all my stuff here, cleaning out. So, it's more than just a move; it's combining both of our households."

"Mmmhmm," she nodded, almost asleep, "Your couch really is more comfortable than mine was. Why didn't I think I'd like the leather? Besides it being comfortable, the kids can't stain it. Tom was walking along it today, and he had mashed cookie on his hand still, and it just wiped off. The couch is great, she said sleepily.

Andy chuckled, "Glad it works. Your dining room set looks nice in there."

She opened her eyes and looked, "It does," she smiled. "Sorry you had to move your bedroom suite to the guest room. I know that was annoying."

Andy shrugged again, "It's fine. I like your set better. Care to go enjoy it?" he asked casually.

She opened her eye again, "We've gotten this far. After that whole mess at their birthdays, the crazy case that wouldn't end, we said we'd just wait until the wedding. That makes it even better. You can wait. We're at least all under the same roof."

Andy grinned at her, "What was I thinking-agreeing to that? Knew I was getting someone who never breaks the rules," he winked.

"I could be persuaded to go to bed though," she said sleepily again.

"How long until the wedding?" he said, not hearing her talking.

She chuckled, "Three weeks, Lieutenant. Three weeks. The end of October will be here before you know it and worth the wait."

He nodded, as he mumbled, "Not soon enough." Sharon chuckled at the comment.

"Oh, Ricky confirmed he'll stay to help with the kids while we are away for a few days after we get married. I almost wish we had some sort of nanny cam to record the scene-Ricky, Rusty, and Gus all here with the twins. You'd think since they outnumber them, it would be no big deal, but something tells me Gus will do the best. Ricky and Rusty-it will be good for them, but it will be comical, I'm sure," she grinned.

Andy chuckled thinking about it, "Provenza said they can call him if the boys need anything. I'm glad Ricky can stay. He's been making a good effort lately, and I, for one, appreciate it. You're right though-Gus will be calm. Rusty won't, and Ricky won't know what to do."

After the two grew silent thinking of two one-year-old twins running the show for three grown men, Andy asked, "I'm assuming you haven't heard from Emily?"

Sharon shook her head, "No. I text her everyday, as you know. The only real response was the one to Ricky when he told her if she didn't respond, he was getting on a plane to hunt her down. That had been met with the 'I'm fine; stay out of my life,' response. I am sick over her behavior. I almost want to get on a plane myself, but I'm really trying to let her be an adult. I just wish I knew if she was still dating him, or if she's just hurt and doesn't want to be around us. That part makes me so irritated. I still can't believe she has shut out her whole family, not just you and me, the boys, Nicole-makes me sick.."

Andy sighed, "I know. "Nicole's even tried reaching out to her. You know, the girls started to get pretty close a couple years ago before everything. They've kept in touch, and after everything, she won't even talk to Nic. Buzz tried to find the dirt bag on social media. He couldn't find anything to confirm things one way or another-no recent pictures of himself or anything about Emily, and Emily hasn't posted anything either. It's like she's off the grid."

Sharon shook her head, "I have to read the reviews online from her performances to even know she's okay. At least she's doing well at work."

"So, no idea if she'll even come to the wedding?" Andy asked.

"Still none," she sighed, "I hate her missing it, but she's a grown woman and choosing to make her own mistakes. I kind of see how irritated my own parents must have been with me about Jack all those years. Come on. Let's go to bed. This isn't going to be solved tonight, and let's get some sleep before one of us gets called about work or those little people back there wake up, terrified, because they doubled the size of their bedroom."

The two stood and looked around. The house was full of boxes. Sharon smiled at Andy as he wrapped his arm around her, "I'll take this mess," she leaned up and kissed him, "It's the best kind of mess."


	32. Chapter 32

"Figures the one night we get home at a decent hour to have dinner as a family someone would be knocking on our door," Andy said exasperated as he stood to answer it. It was now a week until the wedding, and Andy, Sharon, and their ducks had been busy getting the house settled. Work had been normal, actually not too bad, and Andy kept telling Sharon he expected any new case to be the case of all cases; he was just waiting for something to ruin their wedding. Sharon put more food on Faith's tray, eyeing the door to see who was knocking. She knew it wouldn't be Provenza; he only did that on weekends, and even with her here now, he rarely knocked. Sharon smiled, thinking of that, though, because he just might start knocking after he'd walked in on Sharon and Andy last weekend all tangled on the couch while the babies were napping. It had been quite the make-out session, both laughing at their ages and their intensity, until Provenza had just walked in. Sharon now chuckled; Provenza just might be the one there now knocking. Maybe he'd learned his lesson.

"Jack!" Andy said as he opened the door, and Sharon's eyes grew wide. She could only partially see him from her seat at the table, but it was Jack. Sharon stood and walked toward the door, as Faith babbled on, "Mama go, Mama go."

"Jack, what are you doing here?" Sharon asked as she reached the door quickly. Last thing she needed was an altercation between Andy and Jack. Sharon hadn't heard from Jack since she'd run into him at the party where she'd left quickly, and before that, he'd only sent her a nasty text after she'd had the twins. That wasn't for lack of trying. She'd left him message after message regarding Emily, to hear nothing back from him. She knew he was around because he'd been seen in the building. With her current job, she didn't have to deal with him as much, for which she was grateful.

"Sharon," he nodded, appearing sober. "I was telling Flynn here I'd like to come in if I may. Need to talk to you for a minute. Must have missed your change of address card. Took me forever to track you down," he said looking at her defensive stance, arms crossed.

"Jack, if you've come to fight," she started to say, but Jack shook his head.

"Look, for once, I'm here about the kids-Emily, to be specific. Please, may I come in? I haven't been drinking, and I promise no comments about your idiotic decision to marry this guy," he rolled his eyes.

Andy glanced toward Sharon who nodded, and Andy moved out of the way to let Jack in, "Not a nasty comment, Jack," Andy threatened.

Jack nodded, following them into the house, "Whoa, it's weird seeing half the condo here."

"Well, Jack, that happens when two families merge. Listen, for once, we are eating a homecooked meal. We've had long hours at work, and as much as it pains me to say this-if you want to sit and eat, we can talk there, okay?"

Jack nodded, and Andy made his way back to the table. Jack might be joining them for dinner, but Andy wasn't going to go out of his way to be gracious to their guest. He sat down and put more peas on Tom's tray.

"Holy crap!" Jack said, noting the twins in their high chairs. "You really do have two more kids. I know I said something to you about them when they were born, but honestly, I was hoping it was some bad joke. Haven't spoken to the kids in forever, so didn't know anything about them."

Sharon just hummed, choosing to ignore his comments and the fact he'd forgotten about seeing the twins months ago, "Jack-that's Faith and Tom. 14 months old," she said stating basic facts. "Food is on the stove. Help yourself," she said as she sat back down and broke apart some bread for Tom's tray. She gave Andy a puzzled look, and he returned it with a shrugged shoulder move, so they resumed eating until Jack sat down.

"It's scary how much she looks like you, Sharon," Jack shook his head as he glanced toward Faith when he sat. Sharon just shook her head in agreement.

"Dada," Tom said banging his cup on the tray, indicating he wanted more. Andy stood to fill the sippy cup again, and Jack just shook his head, watching everything.

"So, Jack, obviously, you didn't come here to catch up and enjoy a home cooked meal with our kids. What's going on?" she asked, as Andy sat down again.

Jack sighed as he bent his head, "Have you spoken to Emily lately? She won't return my calls. Tried calling Ricky finally, but he didn't answer. Sent me a text saying he was busy at work and wondered what I needed. That's how I even tracked you down. Didn't know you two were getting married, but I should have guessed."

"Jack, let's stay on topic, please. Our life together isn't up for discussion tonight. You came into our home, where we are letting you join our meal with our children, so let's stick to that," Andy said very casually put firmly as he put more food on Faith's tray.

"Okay," Jack raised his hand in defense, looking toward Sharon.

"No, Jack, we haven't spoken to her since August. Her life seems to be in a mess, and she won't let any of us in. We've all tried. Ricky, Rusty, Andy, and I have tried, even Nicole. The girls are friends, and she won't talk to any of us."

Jack nodded, as he chewed, "Yeah, so, that's why I'm concerned. I think in a twisted way, I might play a part in her mess."

Sharon and Andy looked at each other across the table, both setting down their forks, and turned to Jack.

"Jack, how could you be involved in her mess? Do you even know what's going on?" Sharon asked.

Jack sighed, "Is she involved with a guy named Steve?" he asked.

Sharon's eyes flew open as she glanced to Andy and back to Jack, "Jack, if you haven't spoken to her or Ricky, how do you know that?"

"Okay, so here's the thing-I just got back from Vegas, you know, one of my normal client trips," he started. Sharon sighed. He always said he had clients in Vegas when he'd disappear for months, even years sometimes on end. While he may take care of one client's DUI or something, Sharon knew that was just his cover for gambling and more. She'd researched him long ago and knew he kept some trashy apartment there where he crashed. She'd hoped she would never have to hear about clients in Vegas again. "So, while I was in Vegas I ran into an old, ahh, colleague. Hadn't seen him in years. We used to run into each other there, often in ahh, bars and such. Okay, I'll just say it-we used to run in the same circles with the same ladies in the same bars. Sharon, I'm not going to pretend you don't know what I was doing in Vegas," he said.

Sharon hummed, shaking her head at Andy. Jack's lifestyle while they had been married had been reckless, and she had no doubt he'd cheated on her many times.

"So, we used to run in the same circles, and then I didn't' see him for awhile. Ran into him again on this trip, and something seemed off," he stated.

"Jack, what's his name?" Andy asked, starting to piece things together.

"Steve," Jack nodded. "Sharon, he said he worked now for the NFL-always was a wealthy businessman, and he said he'd known you. When we used to run into each other, he would tell me he didn't understand how I could leave a hot piece of," he looked up at the babies, "umm, how I could leave you at home, telling me his wife was nothing like you, and I should be home with someone like you."

Sharon's eyes met Andy's, and they both closed their eyes, as they shook their heads. What a mess, again, and it was looking like Steve had been eyeing her for much longer than she could have imagined.

"Anyway, we used to run into each other in Vegas. I forget the big company he worked for then, but I just saw him in Vegas, and he said he now works for the NFL. Told me he'd finally met my wife, but she'd left the NFL pretty suddenly, saying it was a shame because as I quote, 'She was all around amazing,' whatever that means, but even I didn't like the way he said it. Sharon, you know me-I might be a terrible husband, but I don't want anyone talking about you. Something in what he said," Jack shook his head. "Then, tells me that through you, me met Emily and thanked me for my daughter, saying she was making him feel like a new man. Oh crap," he rubbed his hand over his eyes, "Sharon, he walked off, and even when I tried to catch him to ask him what was going on, he wouldn't stop again. Sharon, is she involved with him?"

Andy just sighed and shook his head again, mumbling, "What a mess," as Jack glanced between the two.

"I'm missing something-" Jack said.

Sharon nodded, "Oh, I should have known that somehow you'd be involved in all this," she put her hands on her face. "Andy," she nodded to him to continue.

"Jack, I had no clue you would be at the center of stalker Steve. Yes, we know him, all too well. He's responsible for them," Andy nodded to the twins.

Jack looked back and forth, putting things together, "Oh-oh, really, Sharon? He's their father?" he asked. Sharon hadn't shared that information with anyone but Andy and Provenza until the birthday party.

Gaining her voice, she spoke "No, Andy is their father. He provided the biology, but he is certainly not their father. Jack, that was all in the mess of my NFL job, and he certainly knew why I left that job abruptly. I'm sure he didn't mention to you that he almost jumped for joy to sign over his parental rights, and that he'd led me to believe he was divorced, which I found out he wasn't. Jack, he's total garbage."

Jack still sat, shell-shocked, trying to comprehend everything, "I can't believe this. I had no clue you two had been involved; he didn't mention the kids. So, he worked with you?"

"He was my boss, Jack, and he certainly didn't mention knowing you," she sighed. "Why would he mention the kids? He seems to enjoy his ability to ruin lives."

"So, he hired you?" Jack asked.

"He sought me out, which I'm beginning to suspect was a form of stalking. Sounds like he'd been following me, my career since he met you," she sighed. "I know I was qualified for the job, more than qualified," she sighed, "but I had no idea."

Jack nodded in agreement, "Well, wait-he's now after Emily?"

"Seems that way," Jack," Andy said as he shook his head at him, "How is it your messes from Vegas are still coming back to haunt your whole family?" he said rather loudly, but quickly quieted down when the twins looked up. They were busy playing with the food on their trays.

"Sharon, I think he's with Emily!" Jack exclaimed, "This, well, womanizer is probably the best term. Sharon, he winked at me and thanked me for Emily. It took me by total surprise, but oh, Sharon if he hurts her," he closed his eyes.

"Yes, Jack. We had the pleasure of Emily coming to their first birthday party. She showed up with her surprise-a new boyfriend-Steve. She thought I'd be upset about the age difference, having no idea all of this," she indicated with a wave of her hand. "The party turned into this shouting match of Emily and Steve versus the whole family and all Major Crimes. All of us tried to talk some sense into Emily, but she ended up choosing him and leaving with him. She hasn't spoken to any of us since, which tells me she is in so deep with him. She's got to be in that phase of total love, no one can tell me differently. No one knows the real guy I know-the changed man, wonderful and charming. I remember it well. He's a very smooth talker, and obviously, she's in love with him," she glared.

Jack nodded, "I know, but oh, I might be sick. I knew what Steve was like before, and I know he hasn't changed. If anything, this is worse seeing as he almost hunted you and Emily down. Sharon, we've got to deal with this."

"What else would you like us to do, Jack?" Sharon asked. "We've tried. Ricky threatened to fly there. We checked; there are no outstanding warrants or anything we can arrest him for-I'd love to. She won't see or talk to any of us. You know as well as Andy and I do, that she will refuse to see any of it until she hits her rock bottom and wants to crawl out."

"I'm going to deal with her. That's what. I may have done nothing else for her, but I'll go. I can't be sure what I'll do if I run into Steve, but I'm going," Jack said.

"Jack, that has to be one of the first fatherly responses you've had in decades," Sharon sighed. "Go ahead, go. This mess is certainly worse than any of us ever imagined," she sighed.

"Jack, it sickens me that somehow some dirt bag you knew from years ago has been tracking them, infatuated with them for years," Andy glared.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Jack rolled his eyes. "That's why I'll go. I need to make something right."

Andy and Sharon's glance met, and they nodded. What a mess.

"Just one question," Jack asked. "I'm having a cash flow situation; could you spot me the airfare?"


	33. Chapter 33

Sharon and Andy continued to talk to Jack for a few more minutes, figuring out the details. Andy volunteered to get the kids ready for bed, while Sharon and Jack worked on his plane ticket.

"Can't believe you are starting over with kids and all, Sharon," Jack commented watching both babies toddle down the hall. Andy was following behind, making sure they didn't fall and get hurt.

Sharon shrugged, "You do what you have to do, Jack. I can't believe this mess is bigger than we even thought. I was so stupid," she sighed.

Jack gave her a sympathetic glance, "Well, I certainly didn't help. I feel like this guy has been preying on all of you for a long time. I know you and Emily have both made your own decisions, but still."

Sharon nodded, "What gets me is her attitude about staying with him when she knows about what he and I went through. Who does that? I thought I raised her better than that. Why would she think getting involved in one-someone that much older is a great idea, and two-someone who was involved with her own mother? I just don't get it."

Jack nodded, "I have to agree. I know I did some lousy things to you, Sharon, but this, this is just repulsive, targeting my wife and daughter."

"EX-WIFE," she corrected, glaring at him. He threw up his hands nodding.

"I've met the twins before, haven't I?" he asked.

Sharon hummed, "Wasn't sure if you remembered. Your breath reeked of alcohol that day at the party. Figured you had no memory of it."

He nodded, "I deserve that, and sadly, it's true. Yes, I was totally gone that day. I'm sure I made some comment to you, and I'm sorry. I haven't had a drink in a couple of months, and even my last trip to Vegas, when I ran into Steve, well, I didn't drink."

"That's good to hear, Jack," she said flatly. "Keep it up. Your daughter needs you now, and it wouldn't hurt to improve your relationship with Ricky. He'll be down here in two weeks for the wedding."

Jack nodded again," I realize I messed up with both of them. I just hope it's not too late."

Once Sharon closed the door for the evening, letting Jack out, she put her head against it, sighing. Andy walked up behind her and snaked his arms around her, whispering to her, "Everything is going to be okay, Sweetheart. You'll get her back."

Sharon turned in his arms and smiled up at him, "Thank you. I hope you are right. Tonight, you prove just again how amazing you are-sharing dinner with Jack and then putting up with Jack all evening. Thank you for putting the twins to bed. Hopefully, they will sleep well tonight," she chuckled.

"It is a sad day when we are cheering for Jack," he grinned, kissing her neck. She moved her head to allow him to continue.

"I'm just worried she'll show up and mess up the wedding. That's the last thing I want. I want that day to be about us, a happy day. She already ruined the kids' birthday," Sharon sighed as Andy continued kissing her.

"We won't let her ruin it," he encouraged, "It will be an amazing day."

Sharon nodded, smiling as he was still kissing her, "Well, I don't want her to ruin things again for us, so I was thinking- "she trailed off. Andy stopped kissing her, looked at her, grabbed her arm, and ran.

"Come on," he yelled, Sharon now laughing. One thing was for sure; Emily's mess wasn't going to get in their way again, at least for tonight.

Andy and Sharon had gotten more sleep than when the twin were infants and waking constantly, than they did that night. They didn't seem to mind. By the next morning, Andy was almost floating around the house. At the first sign of the twins waking up, he sprang out of bed, telling Sharon, "I've got them. You take your time," he kissed her as he got out of bed. Sharon chuckled, stretching s she made her way to the shower. Less than five minutes later, she heard the door to the bathroom open and peaked through the shower to see who was there. Faith stood there, sippy cup of milk in hand, watching her. Sharon finished quickly, to step out.

"Hi Baby," she said, tucking her towel around her as she leaned down to kiss Faith.

"Mama!" Faith gave her a bright smile now that she'd seen her.

Tom walked in as Sharon made her way over to the sink, "Mama!" he repeated just as Faith had.

"Good morning, Sweetheart," she kissed his head. Both had their milk and just stood there as she got dressed. She had no idea where Andy had gone. She chuckled think that maybe he'd fallen asleep after their night.

"Where's Daddy?" she asked the two of them, shrugging her shoulders as she began to get ready for work.

"Dada," Tom pointed toward the bedroom. Sharon laughed; Andy had fallen back asleep. She worked around in the bathroom, while the twins stood there drinking their milk. Once she was somewhat put together, she turned to them and asked, "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Eat," Faith said.

"O's," Tom smiled and both he and Faith laughed like it was a shared secret. Sharon had to chuckle too, but only because O's stood for Cheerios. Neither could say that yet, but one day, Andy had been talking to them and somehow, he had called them O's. It had stuck. They two definitely seemed to be engaging in the "twin talk" more and more lately. Every now and then, the two would break out laughing, not cluing in the rest of the world.

"Okay, let's go get you fed and find Daddy. I think he's worn out this morning."

"The trio left the bathroom, but Sharon was surprised Andy wasn't asleep on the bed. Maybe he'd fallen asleep on the couch. She followed the two as they toddled to the table and tried to climb in their chairs. As soon as Sharon got closer to the kitchen, she knew where Andy was.

"You're making breakfast," she grinned, as she noticed he was at the stove making eggs for the twins and omelets for them.

He turned, smiling brightly at her, "Well, yeah. Seems as if I'm a little tired today. Could use some good breakfast fuel," he winked. Sharon laughed, as she finished securing the twins and went over to kiss him.

"I'm sorry you are so tired," she grinned.

"I'm not!" he said happily, kissing her quickly as he put some eggs on plates for both babies, and mumbled, "I'll happily go exhausted all week."

Sharon chuckled, as she sat with the twins. Tom preferred his O's over the eggs, but Faith seemed to enjoy her eggs.

"There's some toast too," Andy said, as he brought her the plate, "and might I say, Captain, you look amazing today. I'll make sure to wear the same shade of green."

"Thank you, Sweetheart," she winked, "I'm probably a little tired too, but great."

"Well, so we aren't late, how about we finish this, and if you don't mind dressing them, I'll get a quick shower?" he asked.

"Sounds perfect, and maybe by later today, we'll know what is going on with Emily. Jack should be arriving by mid-afternoon," she commented.

Andy nodded, "It's probably a good thing I'm not the one on that plane. I'd deal with the dirt bag in a different manner, so best I stay here."

"More," Faith held up her plate and then proceeded to bang it on the highchair. Andy quickly reached over and grabbed it as he rolled his eyes at the bits of egg now on the floor.

"Ahh, Sharon," he grinned to her, "your daughter is still hungry."

Sharon started laughing, covering her face, "I see that," as she turned to Tom's plate, where he hadn't touched his eggs, "I guess Tom doesn't like eggs yet."

The eggs moved from Tom's tray to Faith's, and she proceeded to eat them. Tom finished and held his bowl to the side dropping it, "Uh oh!" he exclaimed, smiling at Sharon and Andy.

Andy rolled his eyes, "Accident my-"he was cut off.

"Andy! They are starting to repeat things. Last thing we need is a call from daycare telling us what they are saying," she shook her head.

Tom flung his sippy cup onto the floor, "Uh oh!" he grinned again.

The two shook their heads, and Andy stood to clear the table, "Another day, another mess," he sighed.

Sharon stood and dealt with the twins. She nudged them back toward their room, as she stopped Andy, "Another day, another evening," she winked, as Andy stood there speechless before he started chuckling.

By late afternoon, neither had heard from Jack. It had been a pretty normal day, just a lot of paperwork. Andy felt himself nodding off several times.

"Flynn!" he'd heard just before lunch, as he jumped in his chair. "It's not naptime! If you want naptime, go to the daycare with your kids!" Provenza yelled.

Andy made a face at him, "Leave me alone," he brushed him off, as the others started chuckling, "I'm tired."

"Long night?" Provenza asked.

Andy just nodded, "You could say that," he said turning in his chair to face the room. He caught Sharon's eye from his desk, and she could tell he was getting fussed at for something. He just winked at her.

"Well, tell those two to knock off the crying-shouldn't be crying about getting teeth," Provenza added.

Andy just grinned, "Might be in for another long night."

When the team started packing up for the day, Andy popped into Sharon's office, "Any word from Jack?-By the way, can't believe I'm saying that or hoping he's called."

Sharon held up her phone, "Just texted me that he was en route to her rehearsal. He figured that would be one way to corner her. So, nothing yet. It's late there, so maybe she'd about done with rehearsal. Hopefully, we'll know more soon."

 **A/N-Hope that was a nice scene with the ducks! Several had asked about seeing them more. Remember, most of this came from story ideas people shared. No, nothing is going to happen to the ducks, but the saga continues...**


	34. Chapter 34

After Andy collected Sharon in her office, they made their way to the day care, collected the twins, and started home. They were a little nervous for what Jack might report back to them later. Their evening progressed without any word from Jack, which had them assuming he was with her, talking to her. They continued, putting the kids to bed, and picking up around the house before sleep claimed them.

"Still no word?" Andy asked when he came out from the saying good-night to the twins.

"No," Sharon sighed as she locked up the front door and turned off the lights. "Hopefully, he's making some progress with her, but nothing I can do tonight."

"Well, care to join me for bed?" he grinned.

"Why do you think I'm locking up at 8:30?" she smiled back at him.

They didn't hear from Jack until 8:00 the next morning, and he apologized for not calling sooner. Sharon and Andy had just dropped off the kids at daycare, so it was by chance they were still together in the building. Andy followed Sharon into her office where they could get the report from Jack.

"Oh Sharon," he sighed, "it's worse than we even thought. Sharon, she married the guy."

"What!" Andy exclaimed, listening to the call that was no on speakerphone, "You mean to tell me after all of this with Sharon, the kids, what we all tried to tell her, she ran off and married him?"

Sharon gave Andy pleading eyes; she was almost speechless, looking ready to pass out. Andy patted her arm to have her sit in her chair. He stood next to her, hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Jack sighed, "I've been dealing with her all evening, and well, it went late, and I thought I'd just call you when you got to work. Nothing we can do at the moment to change anything."

"Jack, she married him?" Sharon said, visibly shaken.

"Yes, they flew to Vegas-telling me how wonderful it was, how romantic it was to elope, even telling me with his connections he got them an amazing penthouse suite at one of the hotels. When I saw him there, they'd gotten married three days before that, which of course, he didn't tell me. She flew back home, and he stayed there for work, or at least he told her that. She's completely clueless, Sharon. She's so caught up in him, that it's unbelievable. We spent hours going rounds last night, she trying to convince me people could change. Told me that if anyone should get that, I should. She wouldn't even talk to me at first, telling me that she could live her own life and didn't need her drunk father trying to ruin things. I finally convinced her that the three of us actually sat down and discussed this before I flew here. Had to show her my flight itinerary with your credit card information for her to believe that you, Flynn, and I were actually working together," he sighed.

Sharon was in tears, "What is she thinking?" she said angrily.

"She's not. He's completely convinced her he's a changed man, he's madly in love with her, and sadly, she's bought into it. He's told her he wants to treat her like a queen, travel with her, give her anything she could ever want, and for some sick reason, she likes that. Told me she might quit dancing so she can travel with him, which I tried to talk her out of that-told her she's worked too hard to achieve all her dreams, that she should keep dancing. I also told her any man worthy of her wouldn't expect her to quit what she loves for him. I wanted to find him last night and give him a piece of my mind. He wasn't home-of course, not-he's probably in some city with some fling, because if he'd been home, I'd be calling you from jail right now."

Andy and Sharon exchanged looks and shook their head. Andy leaned in, closer to the phone, "Jack, how did things end? What happened with the two of you?"

"Well, I stayed at her apartment because she's not staying there anymore. Her lease is up at the end of the month, and she said she hadn't been by it yet to close it out. She wouldn't let me come to wherever he lives, but she left the key on the table at the restaurant for me, telling me I could stay there. She just up and left as we were trying to eat. I tried not to blow my top, but I'm just sick about all this," he said.

"Jack, did you go and get drunk then last night?" Sharon asked.

Jack sighed, "I wanted to; I did, but no. I realize I need to deal with this mess, at least try to deal with it. So, they got married a couple weeks ago in Vegas. Sharon, I'm telling you-she's in so deep. She couldn't stop telling me how much he loves her, and that her life is so much better with him. How she loves his kids-so then I ask her what she thinks about being married to the man who fathered her siblings, and she just shrugged at me. She shrugged and said that-well, I don't even want to say it," he sighed.

"Go ahead, Jack," Andy squeezed Sharon's shoulder, "Let's hear everything Emily is thinking.

"Well, I know I've never been the kindest, and I've said some horrible things, but she told me she was so interested in finding a good man because she knew I hadn't been one. She'd watched me walk all over Sharon for years, and that wasn't going to happen to her-not sure how she can't see exactly what is happening. Then, when I asked her about being married to the man responsible for her siblings, she said Steve told her it was all Sharon-that Sharon had come onto him when she broke things off with you, Flynn. That he was married at the time, and while he made a mistake and shouldn't have gotten involved with Sharon, he did because she was lonely and coming onto him, following him to his room in different cities. Look, Sharon, I know you, and regardless of anything, I know that isn't who you are, so I shut that down, or at least tried to. She accused me of still covering for you, still loving you, and not seeing the truth. Said that Steve told her Sharon freaked out about being pregnant and threated to ruin his marriage, which he told Emily he tried to save, but in the end, his wife wasn't committed to him-can you believe it? Emily bought that too, the 'Poor Steve' routine. I'm telling you-the guy has her so brainwashed. He's convinced her he's right about everything, and the world is against them."

"Jack, this is just terrible and sounds nothing like the independent Emily we all know. What possessed her to marry him? She's not pregnant, is she?" Sharon asked.

"No, Jack said, "I did ask her that myself. Said she just knew he was the one, and that he'd made a break from all the mistakes of his past and was ready to start over with her. Sharon, I don't know if she's going to see the light."

"Jack, did you tell her about seeing him in Vegas?" Andy asked.

"I did. I told her what he's always been like-the women, cheating on wives, and of course, she promised me she knew all that from his past-he'd told her, and now he was different. She even ended with, 'Dad, I am a grown woman who makes her own decisions. If you can't respect that, then I don't want you in my life. If that means my whole family is against me, then so be it. Steve and I are happy and will be fine without you.' She got up from the table then, threw her key down, and walked out. I was honestly floored; she's not the same girl. She's changed, and not for the better."

Sharon sighed, as Andy rubbed her shoulders. They didn't know what to say.

"What's your plan, now, Jack?" Sharon asked. "Emily has always been a fighter; just didn't know she'd fight her own family."

"I'm going to stay here for a few days, see if Steve comes home. I'll keep going to her rehearsals, and at least that way, I'll know she's still working. She said he wouldn't be home for awhile, but gave me no clear indication of when. I can only imagine what he's doing and where, but Sharon, I'm not sure there's much more we can do. Emily may just be in for the lesson of her life," Jack said.

"Thank Jack," Sharon sighed, "We'll talk later," and she hung up. Sharon hung her head, and Andy moved around to embrace her.

"Andy, I think we've lost her. I think Emily isn't going to realize how badly she's messed up until it's too late."

Andy held onto her, "Sharon, we'll all keep trying," he sighed. "I'm not going to pretend this is okay, because it's just awful. We'll keep trying, and if I ever get my hands on that dirt bag for what he's done to my whole family…" he trailed off. "Let's pray she realizes what she's turned her back on-a loving family who is worried sick about her."

 **A/N-Okay, okay, before anyone says, "That's so out of character for Emily; she'd never do that!" Let's realize this whole story is out of character because really, would Sharon have done ANY of what has already happened? Plus, I think that Emily is always painted as the perfectly happy daughter who has no issues, and I'd like to explore the idea that she has major issues with relationships because she saw her parents self-destruct over years. It's one thing for parents to get divorced, but maybe Emily is worse for the wear because Sharon let things go on way too long, let Jack destroy their family over and over. Anyway, just an idea that Emily would be head over heels for any man who would throw some attention her way, and that while she's determined to be nothing like her mom or dad, she's created a lot of the same problems. She's not drinking, but she'd convinced herself to love a man who is lying to her (Sharon trait), and she's turned her back on her whole family-a family who loves her and wants the best for her-she's self destructing before their eyes (Jack trait). Anyway-just how I came to this "side" of Emily... (again, thank goodness this isn't true on the show!) Plus, you had to know in the "mess," that with things out of character, Jack would be a decent human being :)**


	35. Chapter 35

**I know now it is short, but well, you will see.**

"Emily," Sharon said excitedly into the phone. "Oh, I am so glad you called." Sharon and Andy were sitting on the couch, discussing the mess with Emily. It was now only a few short days until the wedding, and they were sick thinking about her situation and the potential to ruin their wedding.

"Mom, I have no interest in chatting right now. I only called to tell you I will not be at your wedding. You have made it perfectly clear my husband is not welcome in your home, your life, so I won't be there," she stated, void of any emotion.

"Oh, Emily," Sharon said, tears in her eyes. Andy had his arm on her back, listening to the conversation on speaker phone. He began running soft circles with his hand, trying to comfort her."Emily, I wish you would reconsider. I really would love my baby there, all my kids."

"Mom, there is no discussion on the matter. You, for once, cannot control my life. You have made your decisions; I have made mine. I love Steve, and he loves me. He is a changed man, something you should know about dealing with Andy. Have you listened to everything his ex-wife has said? I don't think so, and you trying to convince me-good grief, even trying to get Dad to convince me-it's not going to work."

"Emily, no, I did not listen to Andy's ex-wife, but I might have if she had been my family. She wasn't looking out for my best interests; she was hurt and bitter, trying to pass that along to me. I want nothing but the absolute best for you honey. I want you to have the magical life you dream of, and I know it's not with him."

"Emily," Andy said jumping in. He knew if Sharon wanted him to hear the conversation. she would be okay with his opinion. "Don't you think it says something when both your mother and father agree on this? Those two rarely agree on anything, but both want the best for you. Both want you to be happy, and both feel you are making a terrible mistake."

"Well, Andy, Mom, it's my life, my mistake to make. What if it is the storybook you dreamed about? You don't know anything about our relationship," she sighed.

"Emily! He is the biological father to two of your siblings! Doesn't that bother you?" Sharon asked.

"No, he doesn't consider them his children! That was a stupid fling! Mom, I know you were alone and desperate. Just stop," Emily said.

Andy gave Sharon a sad smile, shaking his head. There was no way they were going to convince Emily.

"Emily, you are right you made your choice. Whether he considers them his-well- that is the problem at hand. He wants to relenquish any responsibility for something he willingly took a role in himself. Andy didn't have to take any of this on; he is a good man taking on something I did own up to, whether I wanted to or not. I'm sad you won't be here, but I am choosing the best thing for me. Andy and I are building a wonderful life, a second chance at happiness for both of us. Your brothers, sister, Andy's kids-they all want to be part of that. I wish you did too, but all I can say now is I still love you. I will always love you. Come to me anytime, but yes, Steve is not welcome. I am sorry, but that is the truth. I only hope we can rebuild our relationship one day," Sharon sighed.

"Good luck with everything, Mom," Emily said as she hung up.

Sharon started crying, and Andy pulled her close, signing. He continued to rub her back.

"Andy, for once, I have absolutely no control over her decisions," she sobbed.

"I know, Sharon. She's breaking our hearts; I know. We just have to pray she will see the light. I'm so, so sorry that with the mess we have had each step of the way, she's created this one," he said as he held her even tighter.

The weding-such a joyous day for them after everything, but Emily's absence was going to make it all the more painful.

 **Sorry for the short chapter, but Emily hung up...**


	36. Chapter 36

T **hanks again for the reviews and comments about this story! I've been out of town the past week, but the ducks are back...**

The day had finally arrived. Sharon chuckled as she continued to cut up fruit for the twins to eat as part of their breakfast; so far, it seemed like any ordinary day. It didn't seem like her wedding day-yet. Well, it was slightly different than it had been recently. Andy wasn't there, and since she and the ducks had moved everything, Andy had always been there. Not today. No, with all the problems they had gone through, Sharon had told him she wanted to stick with tradition and not see him until they got married. He'd protested quite a bit, even trying to justify helping her with the twins, but she assured him she'd done okay with them on her own before, and she could manage them alone this morning. Well, she wasn't alone, per say. Of course, her little ducks were here, and they were eating away. Rusty had offered to stay with her, but she'd told him to stay in the dorms; she'd manage just fine. He was now on his way to the airport to collect Ricky for a few days' stay. Ricky had planned to arrive the night prior, his flight scheduled after work, but heavy fog in the Bay Area had cancelled everything. He'd been on the first flight of the morning, and soon, her boys would be here. She smiled thinking about it, and then she shook her head, sighing, thinking that Emily wouldn't. She'd have four of her five kids here, but her grown daughter, the one whom she'd through would stand beside her wouldn't be here. She sighed, knowing Emily had made her own choices in life, and like everyone else, sometimes those choices affected loved ones. This was affecting Sharon, but she wasn't about to let it ruin the day.

"Mama, nana," Tom banged his tray, wanting more food. He'd recently discovered he loved bananas, and now, he couldn't get enough of them. Sharon grimaced as she turned toward Tom. Andy. Andy had introduced bananas to Tom, saying they were a nice, easy thing to eat. Easy. Yeah, easy if you weren't the one CLEANING the mess afterwards. Bananas. Their own absolute mess. Tom was covered in bananas and would definitely need a bath to get them out of his hair, face, eyes-everywhere. His highchair, and the floor around it-all covered. As a special treat, Tom had covered Faith's hand in bananas, and as Sharon glanced to her, she grimaced again. Andy again. She shook her head at the discussion, "Sharon," Andy had said, "I bet the twins would love blueberries too. They are easy to eat. What could be easier than giving them blueberries?" Sharon scowled now. Faith was a blueberry mess-covered in them. If the twins wanted to coat themselves in food, why did it have to be sticky bananas and staining blueberries. Sharon sighed. Oh, where was Andy now while these two ducks munched on their food? Oh, he was probably enjoying a nice, leisurely morning, but she'd told him she could handle things. She needed to get this mess cleaned up before the boys arrived from the airport.

Once the twins seemed to satisfy their appetite for at least the next 20 minutes, Sharon plopped them into the tub to get them cleaned up. She figured that she could have them ready to go, well, except for putting on their dress clothes, so that when the boys got there, they could be on twin duty while she got ready. Andy and Sharon had opted for an 11:30 wedding, early yes, but they really wanted the twins to be at their best. They knew mid-afternoon would cause major meltdowns with naptime, and this, after all, was about joining as a family, so the twins were a big part of the time consideration.

They had opted to get married at a resort on the ocean, not far from where they lived. With Gus working in a fancy restaurant, he mentioned the owner of his restaurant owned several places around LA. They found a beautiful spot, overlooking the bluffs, that would cater a nice lunch afterward. It was going to be a small affair, the family, the team, and a few extra friends. Judge Grove had heard Sharon had gotten engaged and personally called her to tell her he'd be happy to marry her. They'd been friends a long time, so he was going to perform the wedding. Sharon had spoken to him at length about Andy officially adopting Faith and Tom, and with Steve having surrendered his parental rights, that hurdle was an easy one to cross. The judge was able to get all that paperwork together, and they hoped to sign it as well. It was a big day for the Flynn family-all of them.

Sharon smiled at the twins as they played in the bathtub. Her life had changed so much, and now, looking back, she couldn't believe she'd gotten to this point. She and Andy were finally moving forward as a family.

"Mom! We're home," Rusty called out from the living room.

"I'm in the bathroom giving your brother and sister a bath," she called back, "Ricky, I'm so glad you made it."

"No need to yell," Ricky chuckled, as he stepped inside the bathroom door. Sharon stood up and gave him a hug and kiss, "Hi Mom. I'm glad I made it too. I was about to just drive my car down here after they cancelled my flight last night, but they assured me I'd get here this morning. Wow," he said glancing to the twins, "they have gotten big. Man!"

Sharon smiled back at them as she bent down again.

"Mama!" Faith grinned as she waved her arms to splash water all over Tom. Tom giggled. Both babies looked toward Sharon and even up to Ricky.

Sharon pointed to Ricky as she spoke to the twins, "Ricky," she pointed. "He's your brother," she told them again, expecting they didn't remember him.

"Icky" Tom repeated, although not quite getting it. Faith giggled, another inside joke, and she repeated it too, "Icky!"

"Great," Ricky chuckled, "never had to deal with younger siblings learning to talk. Now, I'm 'Icky.' Awesome."

Sharon chuckled too as Rusty walked in, "What's so funny?"

"Usty!" both babies squealed when they saw him. Since Rusty still lived in the area, the twins saw him quite a bit.

Ricky hooked his hand toward the tub, as he turned to Rusty, "So, you're 'Usty?' Hmm, lucky you. I'm 'Icky."

Rusty looked at the smiling babies, and all three adults started laughing, "If you two don't mind getting them dried off and dressed in some play clothes right now, I'm going to get ready. I'll put them in their dress clothes right before we leave. I'm not going to let those get dirty."

The two nodded, as they moved into the bathroom to let Sharon out.

Rusty turned to Ricky, "Which squirmy beast do you want?"

"Rusty!" Sharon admonished him. "Don't talk about your brother and sister like that."

Ricky and Rusty looked at each other and grinned, "Ahh, Mom, she'll never let us tease them, will she?" Ricky asked toward Rusty.

"Be nice!" Sharon pointed her finger at both boys and disappeared.

Two hours later, Sharon was ready. Nicole had called her countless times, asking if she needed help, but Sharon had told her she was just fine. Nicole was going to be her Matron of Honor since Emily had said she wasn't coming. Andy was going to have Provenza stand up for him, while all the sons watched the babies. It was sure to be comical-three grown men, well, four, if you included Gus, watching over two toddlers. Sharon was secretly chuckling at the thought the twins would overpower four men.

"Wow, Mom, you look really beautiful," Ricky smiled at her, "and really, really happy." She had just walked into the living room where the twins were now awake again from their morning nap. They were late in transitioning to one nap; Sharon and Andy attributed that to their really early work hours, so the twins' normal schedule included a morning and a late afternoon nap still. It worked, and best of all, the twins were happy.

"Thank you," she smiled warmly at Ricky and Rusty playing with the twins. Oh, how she still wished Emily was here, but she was desperately trying not to agonize over decisions one of her children had made.

"Wow, Sharon," Rusty said, still going back and forth between calling her Mom and Sharon, "you really do look amazing."

"Well, you two clean up very well yourselves," she nodded, noting their new gray suits. Andy and opted for a gray suit with an early wedding, and he was going to wear a new purple tie Sharon had gotten him. Nicole had a matching purple dress, and the boys had coordinating purple and green ties. They would all look really nice in their grays and purples. Sharon had found a simple, beautiful, straight ivory dress with a flowing bottom edge to it. It fit her well, and it had a light lace pattern on it, with matching heels to finish off her outfit. She'd kept her hair down in soft waves, just how Andy liked it. She was opting for the less is more approach and had on light makeup to go with everything. She looked beautiful.

"We'll dress these two," Rusty added, "You don't need to get dirty or snag your dress. Where are their clothes?"

"I'll get them," Sharon smiled, "Andy hasn't seen their outfits yet either. I told him all three of us would be a surprise," as she walked down the hall and returned with the clothing.

Faith's dress matched the purple in Andy's tie, and it was darling on her. Sharon just fell in love with the purple, and she had the dress specially made for Faith. She'd never tell Andy Faith's dress cost almost as much as her own, but it was a very special day. She'd found purple suspenders for Tom, so he'd look like Andy, and she'd found a small little purple bow tie for him. Andy would melt at the sight of them.

"Ahh, I'm not even a baby person, really, and they look adorable," Ricky grinned. "Good work, Mom, but no surprise. You have great fashion sense. Faith looks so pretty, and those suspenders are hilarious for Tom."

Sharon smiled, "Thank you. Yes, I searched long and hard for all that, but totally worth it. Now, are we all ready?"

"Just one second," Rusty stood up and dug something out of his pocket, "Andy asked me to give you this," he smiled proudly.

Sharon took it, a puzzled look on her face and opened it. Inside, she found a beautiful set of earrings, matching the bracelet Andy had gotten her last Christmas. There was a small note folded inside, "Sharon-I love you more than words can express, more than you can imagine. You've made me so happy. I love our large family, and I'm especially excited we get to raise the two ducks together. So, these are from them today-Faith and Tom wanted you to have these beautiful earrings-two earrings for two beautiful children. Thank you for them; I happily consider them mine; you gave me two wonderful kids. I can't wait to see you-see our family today. Love-A."

Sharon teared up as the boys watched on. She heard them chuckling, "Stop," she waved them off, as she walked to the mirror to put the earrings in. Once she did that, she turned, "There, I'm ready," she smiled. "Now, do we need to go over everything for the twins for the next few days again?"

"Mom!" Rusty said, "We've got it. You've put notes everywhere. You've talked about this with us for weeks. We know their schedules and all. We'll be fine. Ricky already put your luggage in the car, and we'll move it to Andy's car later. We've got this. You get a few days off to relax with your husband. Now, lets' go," he waved her on. She turned to Ricky.

"Little brother is right, Mom," he nodded. "We'll keep our siblings safe. We promise. No parties, no joyrides without car seats…" he grinned. "Just go, enjoy yourself with Faith, Tom, and Rusty's dad," he chuckled.

"Oh my-!" Rusty sighed, "Really? So, he's my dad now too?"

"He's helped raise you, right? Seems as if memory serves, he's always checking on you, taking you to dinner, hmmm, you have a room to sleep in here when school isn't in session, he comes to your chess tournaments-yeah," he shrugged, "consider yourself lucky. You got a good dad."

Sharon smiled, thinking that yes, Andy was a very, very good dad, and she was delighted he was going to be her husband.

"Okay!" Sharon held up her hand, "Stop! Andy loves all of you; you know that. Now, I know you'll be fine, but call us anytime if you need anything for Faith or Tom. I just worry about all of you; I'm allowed-I'm your mother. Now, if you two don't mind, let's get them in their car seats and go so I can get married!" she smiled brightly.


	37. Chapter 37

"Dada, Mama, Mama, Dada," the sounds continued, until Andy winked at Sharon, nodded at Judge Grove who stopped. Andy turned while Sharon shook her head, chuckling as she watched Andy grab both kids and turn back around, all the while smiling at Sharon. The wedding. Oh, it had started out beautifully. The location was gorgeous, just out on the bluff, overlooking the ocean. Late October was so beautiful, and the weather was perfect. The décor was simple, yet elegant. A few flowers on display, decorated with purple bows. There were just enough chairs for their small guest list-Amy and Cooper, Julio, Buzz, Wes, Fritz-but Brenda was out of town on business, Morales, Andrea, the two assistants Sharon had in her new office, and of course Provenza and Patrice. Chief Pope even had planned to be there, but his presence at been requested at a conference at the last minute, out of town. The kids were there, everyone except Emily. Dean had the boys with him, while Nicole stood with Sharon. Ricky and Rusty had walked Sharon down the aisle together, while Andy's son had walked the twins together. Now, Andy's son sat with Rusty, Gus, and Ricky, trying to keep hold of the kids, but they were failing miserably. Sharon couldn't blame them, as she now looked at the two sweet faces staring at her. Now they were smiling. A few moments ago, they'd let loose in an all-out wail, trying to wiggle from Rusty and Ricky because they'd seen their parents. The ducks were in that clingy stage; they wanted familiar people and familiar people only. They didn't want to sit with Ricky and Rusty; they wanted to be with their mom and dad. So, despite the boys' best efforts, the twins were making their presence known. One look from Andy to Sharon, and they knew they were thinking the same thing; that had always been one great trait they shared. They could read minds. So, with a casual glance and nod to the judge, Andy had grabbed both kids and had one in each arm now. The silence was instant, as both babies were happy.

"Mama, hi," Faith smiled at her, not knowing she was interrupting a very important moment. Their friends and family all started laughing.

"Dada! Dada!" Tom squealed, as he started to pat Andy's face.

Andy turned to their friends and family quickly, "Perhaps I should have seen these two at least before the wedding. I'm afraid they are a little excited to see me since they haven't seen me all day."

Sharon patted his arm, winking at him. He turned back to her, and she took his hand, the one that was firmly holding Tom. He had beautiful little Faith in his other arm.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"I'm not," Andy shrugged, "It's their day too."

Once the twins were situated with Andy, the rest of the ceremony went smoothly and beautifully. They didn't have anything long; they had a lovely, intimate moment with their friends and family. It was a promise to everyone, a promise to their new family. When Judge Grove finally told Andy he could kiss his bride, Andy put the kids down, "Sorry guys. I get your mom for just a few moments, okay?" he told them, as if he could reason with toddlers. Their friends chuckled. Luckily, Rusty had brought animal cookies with him, a favorite to both toddlers, and he picked that moment to dig them out of his pocket. He'd been trying to do that earlier when they started crying, but he hadn't been able to get to his pocket. He dangled them out for the kids to see, and for the moment, they quickly forgot about their parents and moved quickly over saying, "Usty! Cook!" They couldn't quite say cookie, but everyone laughed, as they spotted the two on the move.

Andy took that moment to pull Sharon in and kiss her, whispering, "I love you so much." Sharon nodded to him, knowing if she started to talk, she'd start crying that moment. Andy could see her holding back her tears; he knew too. He didn't need to hear it at the moment; he knew, and Sharon and the little ducks-they were officially his family for the rest of their lives. Instead, Sharon squeezed his hand, as she wrapped her arm around him.

They were able to get all their pictures while lunch was setup; Sharon had mentioned to Andy just how sad she was they wouldn't have a complete family photo, and while he knew he couldn't change it, he knew it bothered her. Once the photos were done, everyone was ushered inside for lunch.

"I can't tell you how stunning you look today, Sweetheart," he smiled at her, as he held her hand walking to their table. "Your dress is just gorgeous, and it just about took my breath away."

"I'm glad it didn't," she smirked at him, "Last thing we needed today was to end up at the hospital for you again.

"Haha, you think you're funny now, huh?" he smiled at her.

"Of course, I roped you in, convinced you to marry me, take on the twins-now, you get to see the real me," she giggled.

"Hmmm, I think after this many years, I've seen it. I'm good; I'll stick with you. Besides, I can't divorce you now. No, that's Provenza's style; I'm not looking for five wives," he winked.

"Oh good, because I'm already dealing with the hassle of changing my name. I don't want to have to do it again," she smiled.

He chuckled as they sat, blissfully unaware of anyone else. That was one thing all their friends and family had noticed about them. They could banter about anything, and here, in the middle of their wedding, they were doing just that.

As their other guests sat and the food was being served, Andy looked around their table, "Who else is at our table?"

Sharon looked up, "Provenza and Patrice. The boys said they would take the twins."

Andy gave her a look, "Really? Is that why there's extra space at our table?"

"I may have left extra space in case the twins couldn't handle themselves," she shrugged. Andy chuckled.

"By the way, my ducklings look great today. I love their outfits. I can't believe you found suspenders small enough for Tom, and wow, Faith, she was a mini-Sharon today. I thought for sure you'd find her a dress like yours, you know, same color and all."

Sharon smiled as Andy talked about the kids, "Well, I did have to search for the suspenders, but I found a store online that has tons for toddlers, so I bookmarked it. You and Tom can shop away. For Faith, I wanted her to match you," she smiled. "That purple just looks so beautiful on her, and well, I don't know-I just wanted her in purple, both, like their dad," she shrugged. Andy smiled and leaned over to kiss her.

"Well, they look great. Sharon, when I think back," he shook his head, getting emotional, "I'm so happy we are right here today."

Sharon turned and put her hands on his face, "I am too, my love," she smiled as she kissed him.

"Oh, knock it off," Provenza said as he sat down. Patrice was still talking to Nicole, or Provenza might not have gotten away with his comment. Sharon and Andy chuckled.

"Hey! My wedding, my rules today," Andy barked at Provenza.

"It's starting already!" Provenza threw his napkin down on his plate, "Not even married an hour, and Flynn, you are already talking about rules."

Sharon just closed her eyes and laughed, as Patrice sat down, "What did I miss?" she asked. Sharon looked up at Patrice and didn't say a word. Instead, Patrice just nodded, "Oh, the usual banter."

Sharon just laughed again as their food was served. Sharon glanced toward the table where Ricky, Rusty, Gus, and Charlie were taking care of the twins. Nicole was nearby, but she was busy with her own kids too. Patrice followed her gaze and turned back to Sharon.

"Are you nervous about leaving them for a few days?" she asked Sharon.

Sharon thought a second, "Yes and no. I'm not nervous about leaving them with the boys; they will do just fine with the twins. I'm nervous about the twins being in that separation stage, and it will be a bit strange to not have them with us. You know, as short of a time as they've been alive, it's weird to think of life without them."

"And yet, somehow," Andy jumped in, "I think we'll survive a few days of peace, quiet, and rest," he smiled at her. "Plus, it will be good for the boys to take care of their siblings. We could use a break."

Just then, Sharon noticed the waiter serving the boys' table, "Andy! Did you tell the waiter to give the kids fruit?"

Andy followed her line of sight and shrugged as he answered, "Yeah, why? They love fruit. I told him they both really liked blueberries and bananas. Told him they were our kids, and it would be much appreciated if they could serve them something they would eat so the rest of us could enjoy our meal. Why?" he asked as he turned and noticed Sharon scowling.

"Oh, that might be a record, Flynn. Wife is mad, not even an hour into this. Idiots," he mumbled, shaking his head.

"Louie!" Patrice hissed at him, as she rolled her eyes at Sharon.

"Andy, I'm not mad. I just don't want to ruin their clothes. Have you seen what Tom does with those bananas? He smears them everywhere, and Faith-she'll destroy that dress! I spent most of the morning cleaning them up," she added.

"My fault," he raised his hand, looking at her. "I'm sorry. They're happy, though. No crying," he smiled again, trying to get Sharon to smile.

"Sharon, I'll clean their clothes after this. I know the boys probably won't get to them, but I'll take care of it. You just enjoy the day," Patrice smiled.

The rest of the luncheon went well, and when it was time to cut the cake, the twins spotted their parents again. They'd done well to eat with the boys, but Andy took both again, as they cut their wedding cake. It was a beautifully, simple cake with swirls looking like an intricate design on it. A purple ribbon icing was roped around the bottom of each of the two layers of the cake.

"Mama cake," Tom shouted. The room laughed.

"So, how is it these two can't say much, but they can say cake? It's like they know it's a sweet treat," Andy chuckled as he and Sharon cut the cake.

"Provenza is always sneaking them treats whenever I bring them upstairs at work. The other day, he snagged them from me and took off toward the break room. I'm sure he gave them something there resembling cake," she laughed.

"Cake, cake," Faith started kicking and demanding.

"Hold on, Faith," Andy said, "Mommy and Daddy get to try it first."

Once Sharon and Andy tried the cake, they made sure the twins got the first pieces. Ricky and Rusty, doing a fantastic job watching them, jumped up to help the twins with their food while everyone else was served the cake.

"May I interrupt?" Provenza asked the room, as he stood up to give a toast. "It's been quite the show watching these two figure things out," he nodded to Sharon and Andy. "Several of us in this room have watched it unfold before our very eyes over the last few years. As much as I tried to convince Flynn-Andy, not the Captain. I'll never get used to calling HER Flynn, nor will I ever get her new title of Chief, correct," he shook his head. "Anyway, as much as I tried to convince Flynn this was a bad idea years ago, of course he didn't listen. Never was good at listening. Neither one of us were or are. The Captain, she knows just how little we listened; it landed both Flynn and myself in hot water plenty of times. Well, suddenly, Flynn, the lovesick puppy, is following rules and talking about 'Sharon' all the time at work. Knowing my best friend as well as I do, I took note. Flynn had never been like that, like he is now, truly happy. Soon, 'Sharon' was filtering into work more and more, and pretty soon, it wasn't Flynn I was hearing anymore. It was always 'Provenza and Andy do this' or 'Provenza and Andy do that.' It didn't take an astute detective such as myself to figure out the idiots here had it bad for each other. Oh, they were professional, always professional, but it was clear as day to all of us, they were in love. Well, after some bumps in the road, suddenly, Flynn starts disappearing each day, an hour at a time. A detective didn't crack that story wide open, no, just Tom over there. Tom showed up in the Murder Room, crying out for his 'Dada,' and we all knew this day, today, this day was inevitable. Flynn, Captain, we're happy for you, so very happy. While the road has had a rocky start, you've found your footing together and have these great kids, although, Buzz said he won't be doing anymore tutoring for your kids, Captain," he chuckled as the room did. "Congratulations to you both. I'm honored to call you both friends-don't worry, you're still idiots too, lucky idiots. Cheers!"

The room erupted in laughter, as Andy nodded to Provenza. Sharon shook her head, a silent thank you to now, her dear friend.

Andy pulled Sharon aside while everyone was getting cake, pulling her onto the balcony, "I'm stealing you away," he winked at her as he kissed her, backing up onto the balcony.

"Our guests will notice if we aren't in there," she chuckled, as he continued to kiss her neck.

"Don't care," Andy smiled, "When have I ever cared about following the rules?"

"When you were trying to win me over, lure me to the dark side," she smirked back to him. He continued to kiss her.

"Maybe," he shrugged. "Worked. So, how long do we have to stay here before we can get out of here?"

"Well, at least long enough to have some cake, dance a little, say good-bye to all the kids," she grinned as he kept kissing her. "You also have to keep your hands decent while in the presence of our friends and family," she shooed his hand from wandering.

"You always ruin the fun," he joked with her as he kissed her again. Sharon leaned up and kissed him sweetly.

"Later. Family and friends now-we get a few whole days to ourselves later," she smiled, as she grabbed his hand and pulled him back inside.

Ricky walked up to the two, as they walked back into the room, "Wondered if you'd made a run for it. Figured you didn't because you hadn't said goodbye to the twins," he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, Ricky, you're still my baby too," she smiled up at him, "Thankfully, I don't have to watch you smash your food anymore, but don't worry; we won't leave you without saying good-bye."

He held up his phone, "So, Em sent me a text, wishing you well," he shrugged. "Better than nothing, I guess?"

Sharon and Andy nodded, as she indicated for Ricky to show her the text, "Tell Mom and Andy congrats. Glad they didn't mess things up anymore and are happy. Traveling with Steve this week while he works. Don't bother trying to get ahold of me."

Andy nodded, "Well, that's not exactly a glowing, happy text, but it's better than nothing."

Sharon nodded, agreeing, "It's almost like you can feel her unhappiness in her text. Thank you for showing us, Ricky."

"Sorry she's not here, Mom," Ricky said. "I tried. Even Dad tried. You know she's messed up big when even Dad tries to get her to come to your wedding."

Sharon and Andy chuckled, as Sharon replied, "Yes, well, if one good thing has come out of her mess, it's that your dad is trying. We've been getting along pretty well-Andy, your dad, and I. For that, I'm thankful. Emily, she's made her own decisions, and as much as it pains me to say it, I know I can't change her mind. She's an adult, and as I know very well, even adults can make some very poor decisions. I am glad to hear your dad is trying with her too."

Ricky nodded, "Would it be okay if he came over for dinner while you are gone? I mean, I know it's your house, but he wanted to see me while I'm here, and I thought that would be easier. He even offered to bring dinner over. I just didn't want it to be weird and all. Your ex-husband in your house with your kids," he trailed off.

Sharon caught his eye and raised his face to look at hers, "It's fine," she nodded, looking toward Andy, "Andy?"

"Of course," he nodded. "Ricky, he's your dad. He's welcome, as long as he's not drinking, and you want him there."

"Yeah, no, he's been sober awhile now, he says. I'll make sure everything goes okay. He's trying, I guess. More than Em can say," he sighed, shaking his head.

Sharon hugged Ricky, "I'm glad your dad is trying. That's all I want. He's welcome at the house. You enjoy your visit with him. Thank you for staying with your brother and sister to help us out."

Ricky hugged her back, "Mom, it's the least I could do. You've been so amazing with everything for me my whole life. Now, you'd better start saying your good-byes so you can get out of here at a decent hour."

An hour later, after prying Sharon away from the ducks, she and Andy bid farewell to everyone. Rusty and Ricky had distracted the twins with more cake, which Sharon and Andy now chuckled about in his car.

"They do realize that feeding those two more cake will only cause them a headache in another hour or so?" he chuckled, as he clasped her hand in his.

Sharon leaned her head against the headrest, as she laughed, "Oh, this will be good for them," she smiled. She turned slightly, noting their empty car seats in the back of Andy's car.

"I miss them already," she said sadly to him.

Andy rolled his eyes, "I'm sorry I'm your consolation prize. Geez," he smirked.

"Stop," she smacked at him. "You're most definitely not. It's just been, gosh, almost a year and a half that I've been looking back there and seeing their sweet faces."

Andy patted her hand, "Well, you get my ruggedly handsome face for the next few days. Sorry to disappoint."

Sharon chuckled again, "I'm pathetic. I know. Now, I'll stop. Where exactly are we going on this trip?" she asked, grinning as she sat back in her seat, ready for a relaxing vacation.

"It's a surprise, but I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough. I can promise you we aren't going to Vegas, nor are we going to Tampa. Both cities-ruined forever. That's okay; we'll make new memories somewhere else," he winked.


	38. Chapter 38

"Do you realize we got to sleep in without anyone waking us up?" Andy mumbled a couple mornings later. Sharon, whom he knew was awake because he'd heard her shifting around, started to chuckle.

"Don't get used to it. Back to reality tomorrow and for the next 17 years until they go to college," she returned the mumble.

"Well, as much as their ruin our sleep, I wouldn't trade it for anything," he said as he leaned over and kissed her check, "Good morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, but I'm still tired," she waved one hand at him.

"Parents are always supposed to be tired," he said as he stood up and stretched. "Besides, we are at least rested. The boys-they are tired," he chuckled.

Sharon returned the laugh, "I am worried we may never have any additional grandchildren after they've spent the last few days with the twins. It could scar them for life. "Nicole's boys might be it."

"Then, we'll spoil them like crazy," he leaned down and kissed her, "Besides, I really have a hard time believing that with seven children we'd only have two grandkids," he winked. "We'll see."

Andy moved into the bathroom to get ready for the day, and Sharon reflected on the few days they'd had to themselves. It had been delightful, just as their wedding had been. Of course, this was romantic, and they were alone; the wedding had been wonderful, but it had been filled with people and most of their kids. Andy had surprised her by driving down the coast to San Diego, where they were staying out on Coronado Island. It was a lovely little beach community, just across the bay from downtown San Diego, and it was perfect for their getaway. It was only a couple hours from home, but it was quaint, even while sitting right in a big city. The weather was great too; they had spent a lot of time just walking around, walking on the beach, and enjoying both downtown Coronado and San Diego. They'd spent evenings just relaxing together. Their favorite times had been their sunset walks on the beach, their early mornings lounging around on their balcony, listening to the quiet. It had been a great trip all around.

Sharon chuckled at the two calls they'd made home. The kids-all of them-were fine. The boys had a few questions the first time they called home, nothing major, but she could tell they were trying. They had asked about layering the kids for going on a walk; she could tell they were worried they weren't wearing enough clothing or too much.

"Just dress them as you would dress," Sharon had told Ricky. "If you would wear a jacket, put them in jackets."

Another time, Rusty had asked if it was possible for the twins to stay in the tub too long, "Sharon, they like don't want to get out of their bath. Can it like hurt them if they are in there too long?" Of course, Rusty was supervising them, but Sharon chuckled at the thought the boys were doing such a good job they were worried about harming two toddlers with too good of care.

She must have dozed off because Andy came out of the bathroom, showered and fully dressed speaking to her, "Hey, if you want your handsome husband to take you to lunch before we drive home, you'd better get a move on it." Sharon jolted awake to find him chuckling at her, "Take your time, sweetheart. I'm in no rush."

Sharon sat up and stretched, moving along toward the bathroom, "Sorry," she smiled, "Must have dozed off. I'll get ready."

An hour later, the two were ready to check out of their hotel. Sharon looked around, smiling at the perfect location, "Andy, this has been such a nice, relaxing time. Thank you for finding this place."

"My pleasure," he kissed her and then put his arm around her. "We do need to make time for some vacations, Sharon. Vacations with the kids. They don't need to grow up only knowing daycare and the house; as much as we both like to work, we need to remember, we have a family, and they need to come first. I don't care where we go, but if I can request anything about our marriage, our family, it's that we put them first and set aside time for vacations. We all need that. I know it's rough now with them being toddlers, and we don't have to do anything crazy, but I want time away to just be a family. You, me, the ducks. Rusty can come too, that is, if he wants. I want to take them to the beach, and not just for the day. I want them to see snow, see your family condo in the winter, all that. I want a life with you and with them. I want some really nice memories with you."

Sharon nodded, "Agreed. We need to sit down and plan our schedules each year, or it's easy for time to slip away, but I can pretty much guarantee we can get time off together," she winked. "We had some really nice days here," she smiled as she looked up at him.

"We did," he grinned, "and some very nice nights," he winked. Sharon chuckled, as he began kissing down her neck. "Let's get the stuff, and I am taking you to this great local spot for lunch before we go home to our ducks."

Another hour later, they found themselves seated at a café right near the water. It was a beautiful spot on a beautiful day.

"I can't believe we have to go back to work tomorrow," Sharon sighed. "This has been so nice. Tomorrow, when I'm eating whatever I can find for lunch, I'll think back to this today. What a lovely restaurant."

"Well, I'm glad you like it. Hopefully, we can at least eat together tomorrow, even if it is in the Break Room. Doesn't sound like the team has caught a case, so I don't think my work pile will be too crazy. Yours-I'm sure it will be crazy; you always have tons of paperwork," Andy stated.

Sharon nodded, "Yes, I'm sure I will," she stopped suddenly and put her fork down.

"What's wrong?" Andy looked at her, now seeing her turning white. He followed her line of sight. "You've got to be kidding me!" Andy threw down his napkin, disgusted. "Of all the people, all the places," he sighed.

Sharon rubbed her forehead, "I can't believe it. Where is she? He's here, but where is she? She sent Ricky that text saying she was traveling with him. Of course, he'd be in San Diego this week," she sighed.

"What do you want to do?" Andy asked. "We can get out of here without him seeing us, maybe, but what do you want to do?"

Sharon shook her head, "I don't know. He didn't follow us, did he?"

Andy thought a moment, "I don't think so. I mean, he really couldn't have. No one knew we were here. Wait, who is that joining him?"

Sharon tried to casually glance to see a man and a woman joining him for lunch, "Looks like it might be a working lunch. We used to do a lot of those. A man and woman just joined him, but they don't look like a couple. Yes, working. They just pulled out some paperwork," she sighed. "Maybe Emily is shopping or something. Let's get out of here. I don't want to talk to him."

Andy nodded, and pulled out his wallet to throw some bills on the tale. Luckily, they had just about finished eating before Steve had shown up, and as soon as he put the money on the table, both he and Sharon started to walk out. They almost made it out, when they heard him yell, "Oh, Sharon."

Sharon froze, and Andy's hand, clasped her hers, squeezed her hand tighter. Their movement stilled, and both turned, collected themselves and looked toward Steve. He was sitting at the table with a smug grin on his face, one Andy wanted to punch off. His work associates were clueless, thinking he'd just spotted an old friend.

"Let's not make a scene," Sharon sighed. "Please. Just think, get this over, and we go home to the kids," as he clutched her hand tighter, agreeing with her.

"Steve," she nodded. Andy put his free hand in his pocket, so there was no mistaking that he didn't want to interact with Steve.

"Well, well, what a surprise to see you here," he smiled smugly still. "Now, Sharon, I know you have two toddlers-where are they? I'd love to get a look at them. I'm sure you need a break from them-wearing you out, I'm sure at your age."

Sharon chose to ignore the comment, and she instead turned to the others at the table, "We won't bother your meeting; my husband and I are just on our way out."

"Husband? Oh, that's right. You two did finally get married. I guess I heard about that," he still had a smug look, as he turned to the table, "This is my wife's mother and apparently, stepfather," he waved with almost disrespect, not giving any indication of knowing her otherwise.

"Where is Emily?" Andy jumped in, trying to turn the conversation. "We were told she was traveling with you."

He waved off again, "She is. Not sure. I think she's at the hotel spa today. You know-high maintenance and all. I told her to get herself fixed up so I can show her off tonight at this dinner. You know just how much of a sexy thing she can be when she wants," he winked.

Steve's business associates were beginning to get uncomfortable, and they could tell something was off here.

"Funny," Andy said in a tone he used at work when he was irritated, "I've known Emily for years, and I'd never classify her as high maintenance, not until the likes of you. And, a gentleman wouldn't refer to his wife as a sexy thing in front of her parents and business associates."

Sharon felt Andy's grip tighten, and she intended to get out of their quickly, "Well, we'll be going," Sharon turned with Andy to leave.

"Oh Sharon," Steve said again, "Anything you want me to tell my wife? " he winked at her. Sharon felt sick to her stomach at the look he gave her.

"No," Sharon stood strongly, "She knows how to contact us, knows SHE is welcome at home, and knows we love her. I don't need to rely on you for any message or anything for that matter," she said very deliberately, almost like she was talking to a suspect, and again, she and Andy turned and left.

The two quickly made their way to Andy's car, and once inside, they found they were both visibly shaken. Andy looked over to see Sharon had tears welling up in her eyes. He grabbed her hand, pulled it up, and kissed it.

"I'm sorry," he sighed.

"Why does he continue to ruin things? He just had to show up on our honeymoon. Things have gone so well," she sighed, shaking her head.

Andy nodded, "I know. Look, can I put a positive spin on this for just a moment," he gave her a sad, hopeful smile.

She looked at him with a curious glance, "What is that?"

He took her hands in his, "Well, regardless of how much of a dirt bag he is, the kids are mine," he smiled brightly. "I have the legal paperwork to prove it, and the three of you now have my last name too. So, if there's a positive in all this, that's it. You and the ducks are all mine," he grinned. "Now, I can't disagree he ruined our nice luncheon on our last day here, but let's not let that trash our day."

Sharon sighed, but nodded, "I wish I could have seen Emily, even if she is with him."

Andy was quiet for a moment, "What hotel would he be staying at? Do you know? If so, let's go and see if she's at the spa. He's busy for at least awhile, and while she may not want to see you, I know you want to see her. She's made a mess of things, but she's still OUR daughter, and we both love her very much."

Sharon smiled brightly at him, the first time she'd done that since before their run in with the dirt bag, "I think I know. Let's go find out."


	39. Chapter 39

"I won't tell you I flashed my badge to get some information," Andy said as he returned to the bar area of the hotel where Sharon was sitting. She was on edge; Andy had told her he would find out if Emily was in the spa, and she knew herself well enough now that it was probably a good idea he checked instead of Sharon herself. She wasn't sure how she was going to react to Emily, and besides, she trusted Andy with her life. He could find out just as easily as she could.

"And?" Sharon asked, as he sat down at the table. The waitress walked over, and after he assured her the coffee Sharon had already ordered him was enough, he turned his attention back to Sharon.

"She was there, but she left already," he said with a frown. "They didn't know where she was headed or what she was doing. So, what would you like to do?" he asked.

Sharon thought for a moment; she'd been thinking about what she would do if this were the case. She sighed, "Well, I think I'll just leave a note for her at the desk. She won't respond to my text messages, so I'm not sure she is even reading them. I think if we just leave her a note, maybe she'll read it, know we love her. I don't know what else to say or do; she's convinced he's right and the rest of the world is wrong."

Andy pulled a folded-up piece of stationary out of his coat pocket, "I thought you'd say that, and I took the liberty to get you some paper. Here," he handed it to her as he winked at her.

She shook her head, "You are a good man, and you know me so well. Thank you."

An hour later they were back on the road, heading home to see their ducks. Sharon and Andy had both written a few lines in the note they left at the desk for Emily; they hoped she'd get the note and read it, but they really didn't know if she would. As Sharon had pointed out, Emily had come this far and made no attempt at communication. If she was planning to act like a spoiled brat, they were going to let her hang herself, so to speak. She was an adult who had made her own decision, bad ones at that, but right now, she didn't want anything to do with any of her family.

"I can't wait to see the kids," Sharon smiled as she glanced over at Andy driving.

He patted her hand, "Me too. This has been a great honeymoon. I'm anxious to get home and really continue on with our lives together."

"Well, we start with our first Halloween as a married family," Sharon said giddy with excitement. "I hope they love their costumes," she grinned.

Andy rolled his eyes, "Sharon, they are one. I don't think they really care much about their costumes, but I'm glad you liked the ones you found. It's probably a first- that a couple searches out kids' Halloween costumes on a honeymoon-so many things wrong with that statement," he grinned.

"Well, with everything, Halloween sort of got forgotten, but now, they'll look so cute!" she squealed.

"I might be a bit biased, but I don't think anything will top the duck costumes I got them last year," Andy winked.

Sharon turned with a huge grin, "Those were great costumes, and you let me take the credit for those. No one knew we were seeing each other again, and you let everyone think I found those. That was too sweet," she squeezed his hand.

"Well," he shrugged, "worth it-one, to see the kids in those costumes, and two, to see that look on your face-total happiness," he grinned.

Not much later, they arrived back at home, sighing as they pulled into their driveway. Andy turned to Sharon, leaning over and kissing her before she got out of the car, "Thank you for marrying me," he smiled. "Thank you for a wonderful few days away, and especially thank you for those two ducks in there."

Sharon just shook her head, trying to gather her words, "You, you are just too good to me. You shouldn't be thanking me for anything, especially them. I messed up so badly. Thank you for giving me, giving the three of us another chance to be in your life. You made so much of this possible, and believe me, I won't mess it up. I love you so much," she smiled at him, as she kissed him.

"Oh, come on!" Rusty groaned, as he walked toward the car. "Really? You've had days for that. Can you knock it off? Impressionable kids here-all of us," he grinned at them, as he followed Faith to the car.

"Mama, Mama, Dada!" she grinned seeing both Sharon and Andy. "Oh, hi my sweet girl!" Sharon squealed as she scooped her up and gave her a kiss.

"Hey Rusty," Andy nodded to him, patting him on the back, "thanks for taking care of everything and everyone here. I see you survived," he joked.

Rusty nodded, "We did, but yeah, I don't need any kids-like ever. I'll be just fine watching those two grow up. No thanks on that kind of responsibility. It's hard to believe at your ages, you two are doing all this again-no offense," he told Andy, and Andy just chuckled.

"Well, when you love someone, sometimes you just have to embrace life," he patted his back again. "And, when you take on kids-you take it on forever, not that you'd know that past experiences," he grinned to him, "Seems as if I took you on when your mom did too, and neither of us have any regrets with that, and believe me, you cost both of us many sleepless nights, as these two will as well. Come on; let's get all this out of the car for your mom," Andy told him.

Sharon carried Faith into the house who was babbling away, and as they reached the door, Tom came running up, "Mama!" he squealed, arms raised to be picked up. Ricky followed behind him.

"Sorry-diaper change on him," Ricky said, smiling. "Good to see you, Mom."

Sharon chuckled, "You too, honey. Is that because you're glad to see me or glad for the childcare relief?" she teased.

Ricky smiled brightly, "Both of course."

Andy and Rusty carried in the bags, while Sharon sat on the couch with both kids. Tom started whining when Andy walked by with bags but didn't stop for him. On his way back through, Andy snuck up behind Tom, and scared him, but Tom recovered quickly seeing it was Andy with a squeal and big hug for his "Dada."

"Everything looks great here, boys. I'm guessing Gus went to work? I don't see him passed out here or anything," Sharon grinned.

Rusty nodded, "Yeah, he's at work, and he said he could get Ricky and me in tonight for a meal. So, if you two don't mind, we'd like to get out of here for awhile. I'm just going to go back to my dorm if that's okay?"

"Of course," Andy nodded. "We can't thank you enough for your help. Ricky, you're still staying here tonight, right?"

Ricky nodded, "Yeah, that's the plan. I'll head home tomorrow morning, early, so I can at least work a half day if traffic isn't too bad."

"Well, then, go. Enjoy your evening. We'll get unpacked and take care of these two," Sharon nodded to both kids. Faith was hugging Sharon for dear life, and Tom was doing the same to Andy.

"Glad to hear you had a good honeymoon, Sharon," Rusty smiled at her. "You both deserved it."

Both Sharon and Andy nodded their thanks, and Ricky added, "Oh, we put the few gifts you got on the kitchen table. I know you told people not to get you things, but some did anyways," he shrugged.

"Thank you," Sharon smiled. "We'll get to those later tonight too. Back to work tomorrow," she sighed. "Oh, we had a rather frustrating lunch today," she shook her head.

Ricky and Rusty glanced at each other, trying to decipher Sharon's statement, but Andy jumped in.

"Good old Steve was in San Diego on business and just happened to show up at the same restaurant," he sighed. "Of all the times for coincidences to be true," he shook his head.

Ricky and Rusty's eyes grew wide, and Ricky asked, "Was Emily there?"

"Apparently, she was at the hotel spa, where we tried to track her down, but no luck," Sharon shook her head. "For now, I'm done trying to stay involved. Believe me, I will always love her, always welcome her, but I'm not going to keep trying to convince her of what she refuses to see, not now. Steve will mess up at some point; I know that will happen. WHEN it does, we'll all have to be there for Emily, even though she's tried everything to shut us out. Just be prepared," she warned the boys, "One day, she'll see the light; we just don't know when that will be."

By mid-morning the next day, things were relatively back to normal at both the Flynn home and at work. Ricky had left before sunrise to head home, and both Sharon and Andy got back into their work routine. It felt so nice to both to now say they were married. Andy got a big grin on his face every time he looked down at his shiny new wedding band.

"Flynn!" Provenza stepped out of his office, almost startling Andy, who was working away on his computer.

"What?" Andy hissed, and the team stopped working to listen to the newest banter.

"Halloween Daycare Parade today again. What are the kids this year?" Provenza asked, very interested.

"Sir, if I didn't know it, I would say you like the Lieutenant's kids," Julio grinned. "I mean, you always seem interested in things like their costumes, Christmas gifts, birthday gifts-it's like you like them like family."

Provenza threw a glare toward Julio, "I don't even care what my family members do for holidays and stuff. No, I'm just asking because you know, they'll be coming through here for candy, and I didn't want to miss them. Helps to know what costumes they are wearing."

The team chuckled at Provenza's weak explanation, and they all watched as Andy acted like he'd forgotten Provenza's question.

"So?" Provenza asked again, this time moving to Andy's side. "What are they this year?"

Andy sighed and folded his hands, smiling slightly as he did so, glancing at his wedding band, "This year, they are going as a cowboy and a cowgirl. Tom's costume is brown and white; Faith's costume is pink and white with pink cowboy boots, and don't think I'm buying your act of not being able to spot my kids. They're the only twins in the daycare, and you see them often enough, you know our kids. So, just in case you are so old you've already forgotten-cowboy and cowgirl," he added with a smirk.

"Ahh, that's adorable," Amy smiled brightly as she said that.

Provenza rolled his eyes, "Cowboy and cowgirl? Did you come up with that? I can't imagine the Captain would dress her daughter in a pink cowgirl outfit-always talking about equal rights and stuff. I don't think anything will top her costumes from last year-those duck ones were awfully cute."

Andy smirked, knowing that he could finally own up to something, "Really?" he grinned. "You liked those costumes. Well, its' about time you knew that I ordered those. Those costumes were my idea, and when Sharon said they just showed up at her house, she wasn't lying; they did. I ordered them, so you're telling me that something I picked out for my kids is your favorite," he grinned.

Provenza threw his hand up, "Well, now, I haven't seen this year's costumes, but really? You got the duck ones?"

"I did," Andy smiled, "oh, and Sharon is the one who picked out this year's costumes. So, you were wrong again. She picked out the pink. Her hard, cop exterior melts when she's around a certain toddler little girl," he grinned. "I don't think Faith will be in pink forever, but rumor has it our Assistant Chief of Police has a soft spot for little girls and their dresses, toys, and accessories," he rolled his eyes. "Let's just say that I'm awfully glad I've got Tom around to do guy stuff."

The team chuckled and as the conversation died off, everyone got back to work. Provenza went back into his office, only to return a few minutes later with bags and bags of candy, "What?" he said as people looked at him, "Can't have the building saying that Major Crimes is stingy on the daycare candy, can we?"

The daycare parade was set to come through the offices after lunch, and Andy was hoping Sharon would get a chance to see the kids. She'd had to work through lunch on a meeting that had been scheduled last minute, so he was prepared to take some pictures in case she missed it. The sound of her shoes echoed in the hallway not long after, and he looked up in time to catch her eye and smiled to her. She walked over to Andy's desk, after hearing a chorus of, "Hi Chief" from the rest of the team.

Sharon reached Andy's desk, where he turned and smiled at her, "Hi Sweetheart," he said, and the rest of the team chuckled at his greeting. Sharon was okay with it, but it was a bit funny hearing the Assistant Chief greeted that way by anyone.

"Did I miss it?" she asked a bit worried. "I was stuck in a meeting."

Andy shook his head, "No, they haven't come through here yet. Aren't you going to wait in your office?"

"No," she shook her head, "I wanted to come wait with you. Besides, it's hard to get the kids in and out of my office area. I sent my assistants to lunch, and I just put a note I'd be here. We left our huge basket of candy at the door."

Sharon had barely finished saying that when the parade started through their office. Amy dug out a huge basket of pretzel packs she had bought. Wes had individually wrapped cookies; Julio had bought suckers; Buzz had chocolate bars; Mike had granola bars-being the healthy conscious one he was, and Provenza surprised everyone with little wrapped bags of candy for each kid. Andy had to chuckle at Provenza; he was a giant teddy bear who melted at the sight of kids.

Sharon leaned over, "Your partner has a soft spot for our kids," she grinned.

"Oh, he does, that's for sure. I think we should take him up on his wedding gift of homemade vouchers for babysitting," Andy smiled.

Sharon shook her head, "I can't believe he did that. It was so very sweet, and who would have thought Provenza would make vouchers redeemable for babysitting?"

Andy laughed too, "I love the disclaimer on them that 'NOT REDEEMABLE DURING DODGER GAMES."

The two chuckled as the rest of the team started handing out their candy. Sharon and Andy were glancing around, watching for the twins. They daycare was rather large, and it took a few minutes for all the kids to filter in.

"Mama!" they heard, "Dada!" and soon, two little people were running toward them.

"Hi guys," Sharon and Andy both bent down to hug the kids. "What did you get?" Sharon asked looking in their bags.

"Yums!" Tom said, his new words for anything good. "He just called them 'Yums.'

"Flynn!" Provenza called to him, "Send your little prairie people over here for their treats," he nodded. "I have special treats for them."

Andy and Sharon laughed at Provenza, walking the twins around the room to all their friends. They quickly found Provenza wasn't the only one who had special treats for the ducks. Everyone seemed to have a special treat pack for their kids. Both Sharon and Andy were touched that the team was so loving to the kids.

"Bye bye, Dada!" Tom waved, as the group left, "Bye bye Lieu!" he called toward Provenza. They had started saying Lieutenant to the twins, and Tom caught on with "Lieu." The team chuckled.

Faith started throwing a massive fit, "No go! No go!" she kicked, kicking so hard, her boots went flying off. "No go!"

It took a couple moments of persuading, but soon they got Faith situated with the rest of the group again. The team watched in awe of Faith's fit.

"Wow, she's a feisty one," Buzz commented.

"Feisty like her mom," Julio chuckled.

"A temper like her dad-if that was possible," Amy chuckled, and the team just nodded.

Andy just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Sharon had followed the group out, going back to her office. Andy sat down at his desk, just chuckling, "You're all just jealous. I've got the best family ever," he grinned.


	40. Chapter 40

**Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than I normally like, but I think everyone will understand...**

The holiday season passed quickly; work was busy, and things kept moving along, day by day. Christmas turned into the New Year, which eventually led them into spring. Soon, it was early April, almost time for Easter. Sharon and Andy were planning a trip to San Francisco to see Ricky for Easter. Sharon was trying hard to follow Andy's advice to take family trips, and she had to admit, she was really looking forward to the time off next week to travel north with Andy and the kids to see Ricky. Rusty was staying behind, not wanting to leave Gus who had to work, so it would be just the four of them on their family outing north. It was just about a week away, and Sharon couldn't wait.

Andy was looking forward to getting out of town for a few days as well. They had all worked hard through the holidays. Christmas was a hard time for police officers to take time off; all the problems of the world seemed to erupt at Christmas. Still, they had managed to have a lovely Christmas. The kids were cute, excited about their new toys. Tom got a little hammer set, one that couldn't hurt anyone, and he'd been busy banging on everything in the house. Sharon was ready for the set to disappear an hour after Tom opened it, but the grin on Andy's face convinced her to let Tom keep it. Andy loved that little boy, both kids, so much, but he loved buying little boy things. Sharon was equally as bad about little girl things. She'd gotten Faith a toddler dollhouse, and Faith was in love with it. Both Faith and Tom played with it all the time, often, with Tom hammering the people inside. The two ducks played well together, and Sharon had often thought that if there was anything good that had come out of her late in life pregnancy, it was a set of twins-two kids to play together, to grow up together, to enjoy each other, and to not be lonely.

Lonely-that was one word they were using to describe Emily. They didn't know how she couldn't be lonely; she wasn't talking to anyone in the family. Jack had even flown back to New York to see her after her show, but she'd left the theater so fast that night, he hadn't caught her. He'd tried her old apartment, which she'd long left. He even found out where Steve lived, but the doorman told him that Steve and Emily had taken off for a Christmas tropical vacation as soon as she'd finished her performance that night-reason for the quick departure. So, she wasn't speaking to anyone, but as Jack had seen, she was still dancing-at least she had been at Christmas. The studio was on a break, getting ready for its next show, so no one knew if she was still going to dance after that. Her minimal communication with Ricky and Jack led them to believe Steve wanted her to quit to travel more with him. Jack's "good behavior" was a welcome relief to Sharon and Andy. He'd proven to be a decent human being the last few months, something Sharon had wanted out of him for years. Finally, he was showing to the world what Sharon had seen in him decades ago. Problem was, he'd hidden his decent human being side for so long, he'd ruined every relationship in his life. Sharon and Andy had discussed that at least Jack was trying now. For Emily's sake, he was trying. He even seemed to be trying more with Ricky. Ricky often mentioned he'd spoken to Jack week after week, and Sharon knew Jack had had dinner with Ricky a couple of times when in San Francisco visiting client contacts. Even Andy never thought he'd say he was glad Jack was useful, but truth was, right now, he was glad for that.

The other kids had been around for the holidays. Sharon and Andy had spent time with both of Andy's kids, and all of Sharon's kids, except for Emily. Winter had kept people pretty busy with work and now that spring was around the corner, Sharon and Andy were looking forward to starting some trips, the first one being Easter in San Francisco.

The annoying ringtone of Andy's phone woke the couple in the middle of the night. They both hated these case call-outs.

"Flynn," he answered, half asleep, Sharon stirring as she heard him on the phone. "Uh huh," he said into the phone, "You serious?" he asked the caller as he sat up quickly, causing Sharon to wake up, and he finished with, "I'll be there right away."

Andy sat all the way up, and he turned on the light, something he usually didn't do for work. He usually tried to sneak around and not wake Sharon. She sat up, knowing if he was turning on the light, she was probably going to be getting a call too.

"What's the case; where's the body?" she said sleepily, as she fumbled for her glasses.

Andy shook his head, as he glanced to her, looking around for his watch, "No dead body, yet," he mumbled. "You know how we put alerts out on names sometimes? Like you did with Rusty's mom? When she was arrested, we got the alert and stuff?"

"Of course," Sharon nodded, "Rusty's mom again?" she asked, as she found her glasses and put them on to look at Andy.

Andy glanced at her, "Sadly, I wish. That would actually be preferable, although I'm glad she's been off our radar for awhile. No, that was Provenza. He was just called because we'd put an alert on Steve's name, should he ever screw up here in LA. Guess what? Dirt bag did. He's in town. He was just arrested."

Sharon's eyes grew wide, "Arrested? What in the world did he do?" she asked, now moving quickly to get out of bed herself.

Andy shook his head, "That dirt bag was just arrested in the middle of some prostitution ring. Provenza didn't have all the details, but one of the undercover ops going on tonight for a different division caught him at the hotel where they were working. Solicitation," he sighed.

Sharon sighed, as she shook her head, "I've been kept in the loop on that operation. They've been working on it for weeks. He was caught?"

"Yup," Andy said. "Classy guy," he shook his head. "Provenza said they'd let Major Crimes come in to talk to him since we had him on our list. They don't know why we are looking for anything illegal with him, but we can talk to him. They will still take care of the processing and all, but it's a chance to talk to the dirt bag."

"Oh my-," Sharon sat on the bed, rubbing her head, "Emily. This will destroy her."

Andy moved over and sat down next to her, holding her hand, "It will, but it also might be the wakeup call she needs. Maybe she'll finally see he's a total dirt bag. Come on, Sharon. Guy is married to Emily and arrested for spending time with 'ladies of the night,'" he said politely.

"I can't believe he did that," she sighed. "I know he's a creep, and I know he's even cheated on his wives before, but still-a new low," she said sadly.

"Okay, why don't I head in. I'll get a chance to have a little chat with him. You stay here with the ducks, and you can get into work early. I know you, and you won't go back to bed, so go ahead, get ready for the day, so that when the kids wake up, you'll be ready to walk out the door. Hopefully, I have more information by the time you get there, and then, I think everyone would be glad to let you have a few minutes with him in interrogation. Guy doesn't know what is about to hit him," he sighed. "Sharon, we knew he'd mess up sometime. I don't know if it's a blessing or curse it happened in Los Angeles."

Sharon shook her head in agreement, "At least this way, we know about it, we can tell Emily, and there's no question of the truth. Major Crimes wasn't even the arresting department, so she can't even argue we have it out for him."

"You going to call Emily?" Andy asked.

"I'll call her when we have facts. She'll deny anything without facts. No, I'm definitely going to call her; it won't be a conversation she will want to have, if I can even get her to talk, but she'll get the facts from me. I just hope it will be enough to convince her we've been right about Steve all along."

"I'll be happy to talk to her with you," he offered.

Sharon nodded, deep in thought, "I'll tell you who I am going to call though-I'm going to call Jack. As much of a pain as he's been to us over the years, even Jack deserves a chance to go a round with Steve. Jack may not have been a decent human being for years, but he's earned a spot lately to discuss what a dirt bag, as you say, Steve is and how disgusted he is with what Steve did to Emily. Yes, Jack will be getting a call. He can offer his legal services, or not," she shrugged, knowing full well Jack being a defense attorney would be reason enough for him to talk to Steve, and yet, Sharon was sure Jack wouldn't accept even that case.

Andy nodded, "For once, Jack is welcome to come to the Murder Room. Regarding the other one-once a dirt bag, always a dirt bag," as he stood to move toward the bathroom to get ready for what was sure to be a very long day.


	41. Chapter 41

**Thanks again for the reviews. Steve certainly is getting himself into hot water, as many people had hoped he would. I told you this story is a "mess" because I've used just about every single idea people have thrown at me to put into this story (with the exception of harming the ducks-that WON'T happen). So, for those who wanted Steve in the hot seat-it's coming soon. And, eventually, Sharon will have to deal with Emily... Enjoy!**

Sharon dropped her briefcase, purse, and other belongings in her office, as she quickly made her way back toward Major Crimes. She told her assistant she was in the middle of a case and to call her if something came up. Sharon was hoping she'd have a few moments with Steve; she had a lot to say. As she entered the electronics area, she found most of the team there, waiting. Julio and Wes were with Steve, just getting basic name and information. The rest of the team was watching from the monitors. They all looked up when Sharon entered.

Provenza nodded to her, and Sharon returned the nod. She'd thank him later for all of this; she owed him a great deal of thanks. Andy was casually sitting up against the credenza on the back wall, so she made her way there. Buzz, Provenza, and Mike were seated, with Julio and Andy standing.

"Well?" she asked as she took her perch next to Andy. He appeared relaxed, which shocked her with everything. She figured he would be ready to pounce.

"He hasn't said much yet," Andy shrugged. "He is hating life, that's for sure. So far, he doesn't know exactly what department has him. He's basically tried to convince Wes and Amy that this was all a mistake; he says he's a good family guy, wife at home, all that. Yeah, he has no clue we are the ones watching all this. I haven't gone in yet; I wanted to wait for you. I knew you wouldn't be too far behind me. "

"Thank goodness for early risers," she chuckled, as she shook her head. "I am glad the kids can't tell time yet. I think I got them up, ready, and out the door in under 15 minutes. I was anxious to get her," she nodded.

Andy returned the nod, "Kids do okay?"

"They are fine," she turned and smiled at him, "Asked for you, but fine. They are safe, which is what we both need. Lieutenant," she turned her attention toward Provenza, "Can you please go over what the charges are now? I believe Lieutenant Flynn and I would like to discuss that with your suspect here, that is before his potential lawyer gets her," she suppressed a smirk.

Provenza turned to her, "He called a lawyer?" but even as he said that and saw Sharon's face, it dawned on him, "Oh, well, I'm happy to go over the case so far, Chief, but I'm not sure the lawyer in question will be interested in his case."

Sharon nodded in agreement, "Yes, I would tend to agree, and while this particular lawyer has been a thorn in our side for many, many years-even decades for some of us," she cleared her throat, "he's definitely due a shot at retaining this client for his case."

"Of course he is, Chief. I'm sure he'll need a few moments alone to confer with the suspect when he arrives."

"That he will, Lieutenant. Now, what are the charges?" she asked.

Provenza detailed what had happened overnight to land Steve in one of their interrogation rooms. He'd been caught with charges of solicitation. The video footage didn't lie, and as much as Sharon believed this was a slam dunk, she was leery that Emily would believe any of it. Emily would more than likely come up with some reason this was all a setup, especially with the LAPD involved. The good thing was that except for questioning Steve, Major Crimes was not involved in the case; thus, they might be able to convince Emily this had come from a different department and was legitimate. Steve had been recorded on video, speaking with a woman in the hotel bar, putting his hands all over her while in the bar, following her upstairs, and they'd caught him handing her the money. It was a very simple case, but with Steve, nothing seemed simple.

Sharon looked to the monitor at Steve, "He looks terrible," she said. "Good. He needs to finally be held accountable for at least some of his actions. I just hope Emily will finally get rid of him."

"Captain, I see how smooth he is," Provenza turned back to her, as he spoke, "He has tried his smooth bit with Amy quite a bit. She's not buying it of course, but he's tried."

"What blows my mind is the guy still has his wedding ring on," Julio shook his head. "I know how important that ring is; obviously, I can't take mine off, and that guy is still wearing it while looking for other women. Captain, your daughter, your family, they all deserve better than the likes of that creep."

"He's a dirt bag," Andy interjected.

"Well, no arguments here, everyone," Sharon nodded. "I'm just glad to be free of him, that at least some of my kids are free of him," she sighed.

"When are you going to call Emily?" Andy asked, gaining the attention of Provenza, Mike, and Julio. None knew she hadn't called her yet.

Sharon pursed her lips, "I thought we would call her together," Sharon nodded. "You need to be part of this call, and as much as it pains me to say it, I think Jack needs to be in on the call too, that is, if she'll answer a Facetime call."

Andy nodded, "That's fine with me. Yeah, you're right. Jack should be part of it. He's been working on this mess too."

"I want to call someone! My wife will be worried sick about me," they heard Steve almost shout from the interrogation room where Amy and Wes continued to sit there, staring at him unphased. It was almost as if he could hear them discussing the phone call they planned to make. He couldn't hear it, but the timing of his outburst was ironic.

Just then, the door opened, and no one was surprised to see Jack enter, "Everyone," he nodded in greeting, as he walked around to look at the monitors. He stopped in front of Sharon and bent down between Provenza and Mike to look at the interrogation room.

"It's really true," he sighed. "Man, I didn't even mess up this badly," he tried to chuckle, but stopped quickly when he caught Sharon's glare and Andy's eye roll. "Sorry," he threw up his hands, "Sharon, thanks for calling me."

"Jack, Andy and I were just discussing that it would be a good idea if all three of us called Emily to let her in on her husband's actions. How does that sound?" Sharon asked.

Jack stood up, and he looked toward Sharon. Sharon couldn't help but notice he looked good for once; he was put together in a nice, newer suit. He had a recent haircut, and his white hair was really a good look on him. She noted he had newer glasses, and his weight was decent, not fit, but decent. Most importantly, he looked and sounded sober, as he had told Ricky he had been for a few months. Sharon was glad he was doing the right thing for their kids. Sharon glanced toward Andy, and it was then she realized she had moved closer to Andy. His arm was still resting on the credenza, but now, it looked like he had his arm back behind her because she'd moved so close to him.

"Sharon, that's fine. When do you want to call her? I'll text her ahead of time telling her I'm going to Facetime with her, and she'd better answer," he offered.

Andy and Sharon nodded in agreement, and she looked at Andy as she spoke, "Let's call her now. When we finish, we can all take our turn with our oh-so-lovely son-in-law and the mess he's gotten himself into today."


	42. Chapter 42

"Do you think she'll answer?" Jack asked Sharon and Andy as they sat in her large office initiating the Facetime call.

"She'd better," Sharon said coldly, "or, I'm about ready to get on a plane and drag her out here."

"I told her I expected her to answer," Jack said, as they waited on the call.

Andy looked at his phone too, "I sent her a text just now as well, telling her to answer her Facetime, and it's showing as read. She should answer. You think she'd answer getting a text from both Jack and myself," Andy shook his head.

"Mom?" they all heard, as the call was answered on the computer, "Andy? Dad? What are all of you doing? Where are you, and what is going on?" she asked, looking like she was in her house, Steve's house, working at a table.

"Emily," Sharon folded her arms and sat back in her chair. Andy was on one side of her, and Jack was on the other, "we all need to talk to you."

"Look, I'm not interested in another one of your interventions," she sighed.

"Emily, you listen," Jack pointed to her, "listen to all of us-your mother wants to talk now. The three of us are sitting in your mom's office, so listen. This isn't a social call."

"What?" Emily shrugged, looking like a total spoiled child. Sharon sighed, not believing this was the child she had raised who had become so self-absorbed and convinced of a dirt bag's schemes.

"Emily, Steve has been arrested here, in L.A." she offered.

Emily's eyes grew wide, "Arrested? LA? He's not in LA. He's in Phoenix this week," she offered, sitting forward, looking closer at the screen. "So, whatever your source is, it's incorrect."

Andy rolled his eyes at Sharon, as if they would be such amateurs to not have verified things before calling her, "Em, really? You think we wouldn't have our facts straight? Come on; you know your mom. You know she puts horrendous killers behind bars. She's the Assistant Chief of Police for Los Angeles! Do you realize what a big deal that is for anyone? For a woman here? Come on, Em! I've been on the force longer than you've been alive, and do you really think we would have your dad involved if this weren't true?"

Andy's words must have hit Emily a little harder than she'd expected. She remained quiet. Sharon spoke next, "Emily, we have Steve in custody, and without a doubt, he is here and has been arrested. I was only alerted to it from another department," Sharon added, which was true, but she wasn't about to get into the nitty gritty details of how she'd been alerted to Steve's arrest.

"I don't understand," Emily finally broke, as she started to realize things might be true, at least from her parents. "Arrested? Why is he in LA? What did he do?"

Andy and Jack both glanced at Sharon with a nod to her, a nod that indicated she should be the one to break it to her daughter, "Emily, one of my departments ran an undercover operation last night, and he was arrested for solicitation."

There. It had been said. Emily sat, looking back at the screen, looking at her parents-Mom, Dad, and her stepdad, all people who cared about her more than she wanted to admit.

They watched her as she processed things. She was quiet a moment, and Sharon swore she saw Emily take a deep breath, "I'm not even going to get into the details of why this can't be happening. Where is he? What happens next?"

That response surprised all of them. Sharon and Andy nodded to Jack, allowing him to explain the legal proceedings, even though all three knew what was next.

"Ahh, Em, he will be arraigned in court next where he will have to plead. I believe they are scheduling that for tomorrow," he told her.

"Okay, thank you," Emily said, and suddenly, the call ended. Sharon, Andy, and Jack sat there staring at a blank screen. Suddenly, no one was on the other end of their conversation.

Sharon sat back in her chair, motioning with her finger, "Did she just say 'thank you' and end the call?" she asked, totally shocked. Just when she thought Emily couldn't shock her more, she did.

Andy ran his hand through his hair, "Ahh, yeah," he said shocked, as he turned to look at Sharon. "She actually said 'thanks' and hung up!" he almost shouted now. Jack stood and started pacing.

"What is wrong with her?" Jack bellowed. Sharon was sure the entire floor could hear the two men in her office. Anyone might have thought they were fighting against each other, not irritated at their daughter. "I mean, what is she thinking? Does that mean she's coming here? She suspected it and is dealing with it? She doesn't believe us? Who replies with 'thanks' and hangs up on her family? Oh, I want to drag her out here, even if it means she is kicking and screaming!"

Sharon shook her head at Andy, who was turned in his seat staring at Sharon, "I am at a total loss for what I should say," she shook her head. "I'm done trying to guess what her next move might be. I really thought she would say anything-anything at all! Nothing again! No response. What in the world? What do we do with that?"

Andy grabbed her hand, stilling her and catching her attention, "We do our jobs. We go and deal with this total dirt bag. You and I can go in and have a little chat with him, and then, we'll let Jack have his turn. We will do that much. He's going to at least hear from the three of us. I have no idea what kind of sick game he's playing or what Emily believes, but we do our jobs now. We tell him off, we send him to jail, and we let the court deal with him. Period. If this doesn't convince Emily, I don't think anything will."

Sharon nodded at that, looking defeated. Jack was still pacing, and when he turned this time, he saw the strain this was putting on Sharon. He saw her need for her husband, and Jack realized, he was not that guy. For once, Jack realized he needed to give them a moment. Decades ago, he was the guy to be there for Sharon, but sadly, his gig was up. Trying to do the right thing for once, he told them, "Look, I'll give you two a minute. I'm going to step back into electronics and see what he's doing now. When you're ready for me, let me know. I'm not sure I won't deck the guy, though."

Sharon offered him a slight smile and a nod at his offer for a moment of quiet, "Thanks, Jack. We'll be right over."

Jack left the room, and Andy pulled Sharon into his side. He kissed the side of her head, "I'm sorry," he shook his head, "I wish I had a clue what she was thinking. Sharon, I know that's not the same girl you raised. He's really helped to change her, and sadly it's not for the better."

Sharon nodded as she sighed, "I know. Andy, what do you think she'll do? I thought she'd at least hear us out-scream even that it couldn't be true. She just said 'thanks' and hung up. I just don't know," she sighed again.

"I'm sorry this is such a mess," he kissed her head again. "Come on; let's go deal with the dirt bag. We make a good team coming down hard on any dirt bag, and this guy totally has it coming," he added, as he stood and helped Sharon to stand as well.

"Promise me," she said as she pulled back on his hand, getting his attention, "Promise me you won't let anything he says get to you?" she asked. "He's likely to say something disgusting or derogatory about me, Emily, or the twins-who knows, but promise me that you won't stoop to his level," she put her hand on his face, nudging him to look her in the eye.

Andy nodded, "Sharon, I'm not going to let him disrespect you-as a woman, as a police officer, as a mother, as my wife. I won't be violent, but he won't talk badly about you. I promise I won't allow that. I won't allow him to bring our kids into this either; his comments about them have no place here."

Sharon nodded, "Okay. I can live with that. Nothing physical, please," she pleaded.

He tugged on her arm, "Promise. We're in this together, okay? He's the dirt bag, and don't let him bring you down. You've owned up to your mistake, and we've moved on. Those two downstairs were a pretty wonderful mistake when all is said and done, and as I've said before, you picked me. I get the best thing out of all of this; I get the three of you, so let's go take this guy down," he offered her a smile and a tug of her hand.

 **So, as I've mentioned before, I'm trying to explore a version of Emily we don't see. She's totally self-absorbed and convinced her relationship is healthy, unlike Sharon and Jack's relationship had been. She's self-destructing, and for once, Sharon can't control that. We've seen her control or guide a lot of Rusty's decisions throughout the show, but as her kids are all growing up, Sharon is having to realize her adult children will make decisions, good or bad, that are completely out of her control.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Hope this lives up to expectations...I felt like I could have taken this in many directions, but I wanted to think about Sharon not wanting to lose control of the situation.**

"Jack, on second thought, why don't you go in first?" Sharon offered, as she and Andy walked into electronics. Andy held the door open for her, and as she entered, Mike cleared out of one of the chairs so she could sit and watch things unfold.

"You sure?" he asked. Provenza was in the other chair, accompanied by Buzz, and Sharon sat down between them at the monitors. She might not oversee Major Crimes now technically, but they still wanted her front and center for the action.

"Yes," she nodded to him, and she felt Andy standing right behind her chair. He didn't have his hand on her shoulder, but he had it on the back of the chair, as professionally close to her as he could now.

"Okay," Jack nodded and left the room, moving toward the interrogation room. The electronic area remained quiet as everyone waited for Jack to enter.

"I can't believe I'm saying this-but I'm glad to see Jack for once," Provenza chuckled.

Sharon hummed, "You and me both."

"Captain, do we need to-I mean, Chief, do we need to turn this off-attorney-client privilege and all?" Buzz asked.

Sharon shook her head, "No. For once, Jack won't be representing this dirt bag," she said, as she threw a glance at Andy who grinned at his coined phrase for suspects. Jack isn't interested in hearing what happened-quite the opposite. For once, he doesn't want to know the details at all."

Provenza chuckled, "Like his outburst earlier of 'I didn't even do anything this bad,' huh, Captain?"

Sharon hummed again, "Yes, something like that. He did do plenty of damage in my life, still, that's for sure."

Andy bent down so his elbows were resting on the back of Sharon's chair and so that he could see the interview a bit easier.

Jack opened the door, and all eyes in the room moved toward the motion. Wes and Amy, seeing that Jack was there, stood up to leave.

"Oh no! I don't want to talk to him," Steve said angrily. "No way."

Wes shrugged, "Look, a lawyer is here, so we leave for the moment. You don't have to accept him as your counsel, just as much as he doesn't have to take on your case. Listen to what he has to say, and then, we'll proceed from there."

Amy nodded to Jack, and she and Wes left. Before Jack sat down, he looked right at Steve, "I would advise you to keep your mouth shut. I may be a lawyer, but let me be perfectly clear; I want nothing to do with your case, and I am absolutely not taking you on as a client. Therefore, anything you say to me is NOT covered under privilege."

"What the?" Steve asked, "So, you just decided to come chat it up with me?"

"No! I'm here to tell you, my apparent son-in-law what a disgusting piece of trash you are. You took one of the only things that is still dear to me, and you used her. You turned her against her family. Whatever you've said to her, I admit, you are good. She's bought it through and through. I'm here to tell you that it disgusts me how you stalked my family. Yes, my family. My ex-wife and I might be divorced, but on one level, she is still family. She's the mother to my kids, and you stalked her and our daughter, intent on doing the most damage to MY family," Jack bellowed.

Sharon shifted in her seat, growing a bit uncomfortable at Jack's proclamation. Yes, he was right; on one level, they were still family, but she felt a bit awkward listening to that, or having to make Andy listen to that, along with her team. She knew the team was more than a team; they were family, but it was still a bit more of her life on display than she liked. As she pondered all that, Andy squeezed her shoulder in reassurance. She reached up and quickly squeezed his hand.

"My question to you-why? Why was my family such the catch for you?" Jack asked, clearly mad.

Steve just sat there, almost ignoring Jack before he spoke, "I like beautiful women, always have," he smiled, "We had a lot in common all those years ago. Funny, you never saw you had that-a beautiful woman-always wanted ones who didn't even compare, and because of that, I wanted her to be mine. I've got money, power, whatever I want, so that means I get whatever women I want-for as long as I want. I wanted what you were too drunk to see, so I made sure that happened. Simple. When one," he smiled slyly, indicating he was thinking of Sharon, "thought she could discard me before I was ready to move on, well, then I went for the next in line. They are very much alike," Steve said suggestively, and Sharon felt Andy's grip on the chair tighten. She reached her hand back to squeeze his again, and she continued to hold it.

Jack stood, "I won't dignify that with a response. It takes a sick human being to prey on another man's family, and then, even worse, to go after his ex-wife and then his daughter. Enjoy lock up. LA will provide you with a very diverse experience," he smirked as he stood and moved to the door. "Let's not forget that I am free to walk out of here, while you are still under arrest. Looks like right now your money and power are a bit useless," and without waiting for any response, he walked out. Jack stood in the hall, collecting his breath, and looked up to see Wes still standing there, nodding to Jack, and then, he stepped back inside the room with Steve.

Jack returned to the electronic area, and he was met with stares from the team. Sharon looked up at him, and he just nodded at her in silence. What he could say, he'd said. He'd like to have punched the guy, but that would have only gotten him in trouble. Even Jack realized that wasn't a smart move.

Sharon nodded to Andy, and he moved back so she could stand to exit with him.

"Captain, Nolan will be just outside the door if you need anything," Provenza said to her, still watching the monitor. He didn't need to see the look in her eye; he knew she was fired up and ready for a battle.

"Thank you," she said softly, as Andy opened the door and escorted her out.

As the two walked down the hall, Andy leaned into her, "I'll follow your lead," he winked. She patted his arm. They found Amy still in the hall too; her team was going to support her even when she technically wasn't the head of it anymore. Amy nodded to both, and Sharon opened the door. They found Wes at the door; he obviously knew the two would be coming in soon. He exited quickly with a nod to Sharon and Andy indicating he was just outside.

"Well, Lieutenant, would you look at this," Sharon turned speaking to Andy, arms crossed. She'd worn one of her "power suits" today-very high heels, her favorite black skirt with blazer, and she had on a deep purple top, something Andy knew she liked to wear when she needed to feel in control. He had on a purple tie, originally putting it on, knowing she'd most likely wear purple today. He knew her well. Andy pulled out the chair for her to sit, and as she sat, he did the same too. Steve just sat there, looking directly at them, unfazed, "My busy day interrupted-pity."

"Normally, I really hate middle of the night call-outs," Andy nodded to Sharon, "but, I have to say, this one last night didn't bother me."

Sharon hummed, as she opened a folder and adjusted her glasses, "I'd say that we can spare the introductions. Normally, I start with those and explain that you don't have to talk to us at all. However, I've been watching on the monitors, and I know you were already read your rights, so you are fully aware you don't have to talk. No, we really could care less about anything you might have to say. We're really here so you can listen. Good thing about the police-we can make you listen," she smiled at Steve, her looks could kill smile.

"You really had to involve yourself in this?" he looked at her and asked.

"Oh, I took pleasure in it. I must say it is a tad embarrassing to get the call as the Assistant Chief of Police for the City of Los Angeles, to get a call saying that my scum of a son-in-law has been arrested for solicitation, but," she shrugged, "anyone who is close to me, to either of us," she indicated Andy next to her, "well, they knew the call was more of a courtesy. It was really a congratulatory call, finally proving what a dirt bag you really are." Sharon saw Andy grin out of the corner of her eye, and she pursed her lips so she didn't break out in a smile at the choice of words too.

Steve just rolled his eyes and sat back, arms crossed, "Yeah, well, Emily's been fun," he gave her a sick smirk, "but," he shrugged, "it will be what it will be. She stays; she goes. I'll live."

Andy nodded, "Yeah, I get that seems to be your mantra in life. You'll live-now, maybe behind bars for a bit? Hmm," he put his hand up to his face, "so, is it your goal in life to destroy everything in your path? You know, just trying to figure out what your real intention is. That's normally what a father asks of a guy with his daughter-your intention. So, is your intention to destroy?"

Steve turned to Andy, giving him another sick stare, "And, which daughter would we be discussing?"

Sharon's one hand was already under the table on her lap, and she quickly found Andy's hand, squeezing it. Andy still sat there, looking unfazed, even while he was boiling inside.

"Pal, I'm having to clean up your mess all around, so let's focus on Emily," he quickly replied. Sharon had to admit it was a good comeback, true to the situation, and Andy clearly didn't show that he was affected by his statement. "So, destroy Emily, and move on? That's the plan? You tried it here with Sharon, and she got rid of you before you could trash her anymore, so then you moved on to Emily?"

Steve crossed his arms again and just shrugged, "Amazing family there," he said slyly.

"Yeah, it is," Andy said not taking the bait, "because she and I have put forth a lot of effort," he finished.

"So, let's discuss your situation a bit," Sharon gave him a fake smile, "Ah ha," she raised her hand, "I'm not talking about a confession or anything else. She opened her file and spread the pictures. So, you were caught in a bit of a compromising situation," Sharon said as she acted like she felt badly for him. "Conduct like this won't look good to the NFL, and don't worry, we took care of notifying them you were otherwise detained for a few days," she smiled again. "Now, I was very clear in my call-you know, it's nice to still know everyone there and be able to call just the right people," she smiled at Andy. "That was a good thing about that job. It did allow me to make a lot of contacts, and well, when I came back here, it allowed me to move into an even higher ranking job here where I have a lot more power myself," she nodded to Andy as she turned back to Steve, "So, with all my contacts, I did let your employer know you wouldn't be able to make your meetings for the next several days. Now, they did ask if we were holding you on suspicion or if we had any evidence. So," she shrugged, "I did send them the evidence that had been collected so far, just so they would have all of the information they needed. Innocent until proven guilty, though, right?" she smiled.

As Sharon spread the photos the undercover op had taken last night, she pursed her lips, "Looks like you had a rather bad night. Hmm, well, you can certainly rest up today in lockup awaiting your arraignment, and don't worry-you might not know many people here in LA, but you'll at least see our faces in court. We won't miss it."

"I'll have my own lawyer dispose of this by this afternoon," Steve waved.

Sharon smiled, "That's the beauty of the justice system. We stand back and let justice happen. Money doesn't get in the way, so no, you'll have to at least wait for court-tomorrow. I will also be happy to keep in touch with your boss-wouldn't want them to worry about you."

"Lieutenant, if you have no more questions, I think we are about done here. I have no interest in anything more with this suspect," Sharon told Andy.

"Chief, as I always say a dirt bag is a dirt bag, not worthy of our time. See you in court," Andy flashed a fake smile at Steve, as he stood and pulled out Sharon's chair for her.

"At least I've left a reminder of me with you," he smirked to Andy. "Every time you look at those kids you are calling yours, well, at least I know you have to think of me."

Sharon put her hands on the table and leaned in toward him, "You know, it's funny. I do think of their dad when I look at them," she nodded. "I think of the smile that looks just like Andy's, and I think of the temper that is just like Andy's. I think of the respect they will grow up having for people, and I think of how Andy will teach that. Yes, we both look at them and think of their dad because Andy has been and will be just that. You are no more than a piece of garbage I should have thrown out long ago," and with that, Sharon picked up her file and moved to the door.

"That's right," Andy nodded to Steve, as Steve watched Sharon open the door, "We can leave this place right now. We will go back to work, finish our day, and go home to our family. We'll sleep really well tonight knowing one more dirt bag is off the streets, at least for tonight. You're right that we can't control Emily, but at least for one night, we can sleep well knowing you can't get to her or anyone else, at least for tonight."

The two walked out, not looking back, before Steve could come up with another reply.


	44. Chapter 44

Sharon looked up from her paperwork to see her office door opening and grinned when two small people started running toward her desk.

"Mama! Mama!" she heard and her smile grew even wider than it had been, if that was possible. As the two toddled toward her desk, she glanced to the door where the suspect of the ducks' "prison break" was standing at the door.

"So, I have it on good authority you've had-we've both had-a long day," he said casually as he moved into the room, diaper bag slung on one shoulder. Sharon corralled the kids onto her lap, where they were smiling at her and happy to sit with her.

"I may need to speak to your boss about letting his team go at," she glanced at her watch, "6:00," she chuckled, as she grimaced at the time. Truth be told, she thought it was closer to 4:30.

Andy nodded, "You do that. He'll probably tell you his boss is crazy, works long hours, and doesn't spend enough time with her sexy husband and amazing kids. So, try that," he encouraged.

"Sorry," Sharon smiled, as she pried her hair out of Tom's hands. He loved playing with her hair. Faith was playing with Sharon's jewelry. Sharon didn't wear much anyway, but Faith liked to always mess with her watch and wedding rings. "I guess I lost track of time, and yes, you're right-we have been here a long time today. Let's go home and wash off this day," she smiled warmly at him.

Andy helped to collect her briefcase and laptop, chatting with her while she sat at her desk. Sharon could easily get up to pack things up, but she was too content sitting with the kids, and the kids were happy, which made everything easier.

"Did you hear anything more from Emily?" Andy asked. Since the morning, he hadn't seen Sharon; she'd had several meetings, and once they were done with Steve, Major Crimes had sent him downstairs for formal booking.

"No," she shook her head, while smiling at Faith who was playing with her rings, "not a word. I did call Ricky and let him know everything. He hadn't heard from Emily either, but he was going to try to touch base with her. If he does, he said he'll let us know. Rusty, I sent him a text message. I really doubt Emily would contact him, but it was more of an FYI to him than anything. He said he'd come over for dinner tonight; we haven't seen him in a week or so, and he said he'd come over to get the whole story."

Andy shook his head, "Well, all the more reason to get going. Three kids to feed-let's go," he nudged her, as she put the kids down so they could walk to the door.

"Mama up," Tom put his hands up, wanting to be picked up. Sharon caught Andy's smirk and grinned at him, "You spoil them carrying them everywhere," she chuckled to Andy.

Andy shrugged his shoulders, "Ah, if that's the worst thing I do, okay. Soon, they won't want to even walk near us, so I'll spoil them for now. I can carry Tom."

Sharon shook her head, "No, I've got him. You've got enough with their diaper bag and my stuff."

"Come on Faithy," Andy encouraged, as she was busy crawling under the desk. She popped up, seeing her family leaving and took off running for them, "No go, Faithy!" which was her way of trying to say, "Don't leave without me." Sharon and Andy had noticed the kids were starting to put words together, starting to make more of legible sentences. Most other adults couldn't figure out what they were trying to say yet, but Sharon and Andy could. Faith's temper was starting to pop up, when Andy stopped it.

"Can you press the elevator button for Daddy, Faith?" Andy asked, and very quickly, her temper was gone. Sharon chuckled at how quickly Faith settled down.

"I'm just glad we both have experience with diffusing tempers," Sharon covered her mouth and chuckled. Chill Tom was just sitting on Sharon's arm, looking around, not worried about anything. Faith was pushing the button, repeatedly, at the elevator, thinking that by pushing it over and over, the elevator would arrive faster.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Andy grinned, "I see no temper issues at all with her. Besides," he smiled even bigger, "way I see it-if you are so good at calming my temper as you always say, I see no reason for you not to be the one to deal with Faith anytime she has temper issues."

Sharon just nodded to him, "Well, if I'm expected to cover all temper issues, then maybe we need to make a deal. Maybe if I cover that, you can cover all the hmmm, adolescent discussions with both kids. Deal? You can take on dating, all of their questions about everything-sounds perfectly fair to me if we are splitting duties."

Andy grimaced, "Well, maybe it will do me good to try and tackle some of her temper issues, you know. Help you out."

"That's what I thought," Sharon smiled, as the elevator closed and Faith continued her impatient pressing of the buttons. Andy stalled her hands, and when she looked to him to protest, he reached down and started tickling her to diffuse another situation. Sharon smiled; she loved her family. Now, if only Emily would wake up from her mess, things might improve for all of them.

Unlike the unnerving start to their day, Sharon and Andy had a relaxing night at home, determined not to let Steve or the situation creep into their lives anymore. They were set on moving forward, as a family. They would go to his arraignment tomorrow, intent on seeing what would happen to the dirt bag, but otherwise, they wanted to focus on their family, their kids. Dinner with Rusty and the ducks had been nice. They opted for a simple meal; Andy picked up take out on his way home since they had both driven that day. Sharon and Andy had been doing a lot more cooking together, even during the week, but on days when they had early mornings such as this, it made it difficult. Besides, it gave Sharon time to get home and get the ducks a bath before Andy arrived with dinner.

"I can't believe she's married to that creep," Rusty said a bit later after the ducks had been put to bed. They had briefly discussed Emily over dinner, but with the kids there and all, they found it easier to address the topic now that the twins were in bed.

"Yeah, well, people do some really dumb things, as you well know. Look at the choices your own biological mother made," Andy added.

"Yeah, but man, she was on drugs and drinking. Emily isn't doing that. I guess, in a way, I see a reason some people make their bad choices. It's not an excuse, but I guess I see it. With Emily, I don't see it. She just got swallowed up with this guy," Rusty shook his head.

Sharon had her head-on Andy's shoulder; they were sitting on the couch, and Rusty was in Andy's favorite recliner, which had years ago, become Rusty's favorite too. As ugly as it was, it was comfortable; even Sharon had to agree with that.

"Well, the mind can do a lot of damage," Sharon added, "your mind can convince you of a lot of things, and often, it's hard to see anything else."

Rusty and Andy nodded, and as Sharon yawned, Rusty took note, "I'm going to get going," he stood. "I know you both had a really long day, and I have some studying to still do," he said as he walked to the kitchen. "Andy, can I take the leftovers?" he asked.

Andy chuckled, "Sure, Rusty. Why do you think I got all that extra food? Faith and Tom aren't eating that much, yet. No, I knew you'd like it."

"Thanks," Rusty nodded, grabbing the containers as he made his way to the door. Sharon and Andy followed him, hugging him before he turned to leave. "Keep me posted, please?" he asked. "Any story where Jack is the good guy-well, that's a story I want to follow," he grinned. Sharon and Andy both rolled their eyes, nodding that they would keep him updated on everything.

Once he left, Sharon turned, and Andy embraced her, speaking softly to her, "You," he pointed toward the hall, "go. Date with me down there-first door on the right. Now, if you go the second door, you have to sleep with the ducks, but if you know what is good for you, you'll go to the first door. Get your shower, and I'll lock up. I'm such a nice guy, I'll even let you snuggle up next to me," he winked, "but will never admit to Provenza or anyone else I use the word snuggle."

Sharon started laughing and looked up at Andy, "Thank you for being there for me, for our family," she leaned up and kissed him.

He kissed her back and swatted at her backside, "Go. I'm not kidding. You're exhausted. Get ready for bed; I'll lock up out here and check on those two back there who are, I'm sure, in their sleep, plotting ways to pull every book off the bookshelf over there," he indicated to their living room bookshelf. Andy's banter had Sharon laughing, and she nodded, as she walked toward their room. Sleep would come easily tonight, even if she was still worried about Emily.

Arraignment court. Sharon shook her head at the thought she had to sit here this morning. What a sight it must be to the LAPD. She was sitting here, behind the prosecution table, which wasn't anything new for an LAPD officer, but she was sure the other officers who knew her at all were chuckling at the sight. Jack sat on one side of her, and Andy sat on the other. Everyone was getting along; it was comical. Sharon knew her private life had been the discussion of many "water cooler" conversations in the building, even though she wanted nothing about her private life on display. It was hard, though, because yes, she was the Assistant Chief. Some talk came just from being that, being a public figure, the boss, to the entire department. She knew some of the talk came from her late in life little ducks. Who wouldn't laugh at that? Here she was-in her 50's now with toddlers. Yeah, it was funny. Both she and Andy saw the humor in it each day as they realized they were getting slower and older, while the twins were gaining every bit of energy they could. Thankfully, most of the force knew nothing about the ducks' story; people didn't know that Andy was not their biological father. Only those close to the two knew; so, outside of Major Crimes, people assumed that Andy was their dad, always had been. It was the case now, really had been since they had been born, but thankfully, Sharon's bad choices had not taken center stage in her professional life. At least that part of her life, the part that she had worked so hard to fix, looked "normal" if there was such a thing. She and Andy had their ducks, and even though the ducks could be their grandchildren, age wise, at least they looked like a normal, happy family, not the train wreck her life had been just a couple short years ago. Even today, sitting here with Andy and Jack, it looked like a united front against their daughter's dirt bag of a husband. Thank goodness this was one mess that wasn't as big as it could have been today. It would have been downright scandalous if her entire police force knew the deeper story to Sharon's past with Steve. Here it was bad enough she had to claim him as a son in law; she cringed at the thought of the whole story coming out to the LAPD.

"I tried Emily again this morning, and she wouldn't answer," Jack said, pulling Sharon out of her thoughts. Andy was talking to another detective who was there for the proceedings and had walked up to where they were all sitting. Sharon turned to address Jack while Andy finished his conversation.

"Ricky tried too. Nothing," Sharon shook her head.

Their conversation was cut short as the court proceedings started. Soon, they saw Steve brought in, looking very dapper in his fancy suit and obviously expensive lawyer. Neither Sharon nor Jack recognized the guy, making Sharon wonder if Steve had brought in one of the league attorneys.

Court continued with the familiarity Sharon, Andy, and Jack all knew. Sharon had clasped Andy's hand in hers when things started, and their hands stayed joined throughout the proceeding. Sharon's mind began to wander again, just wondering how all of this would play out with Emily. She planned to try calling her after everything was done today in court to update her, even though she didn't know if Emily would take her call.

"Guilty," snapped Sharon out of her daze. Andy tugged on her hand, and she realized she'd been daydreaming and not paying attention.

"You are pleading guilty-is that correct?" the judge asked.

Sharon's eyes grew wide, as she turned to Andy. She met her gaze with his; this was a very unexpected turn of events. Steve was pleading guilty.

"That is correct, Your Honor. My client would like to plead guilty," the lawyer said.

The next few minutes were a blur, as Sharon processed that. Smug Steve had just pled guilty. There had to be some reason, and Sharon nodded-his job. Certainly, he had worked out a deal with his job. A guilty plea could mean even a little jailtime, but certainly, Steve was smart enough to secure his job before anything else.

Quickly, the case was finished. Additional proceedings would take place to present the final evidence before sentencing, but Steve had pled guilty and had been remanded to county jail. Sharon looked over to him, still sitting and talking with his lawyer. Andy, Sharon, and Jack stood-Jack was still speechless at what had happened. Steve turned slightly, seeing the three standing there together and looked away. Yes, they had been spotted, and yes, they knew what the dirt bag had done. Now, Sharon had to deal with Emily and whatever fallout this would have for her. The trio turned to leave the courtroom, where they could talk in the hallway. As they turned, Sharon almost jumped back as the three spotted Emily sitting in the back row of the courtroom.


	45. Chapter 45

Sharon's eyes met Andy's, and he nodded at her. Jack was still collecting his briefcase, which he'd brought with him, when Sharon took hold of his arm. He looked up at her with the interaction, and she nodded toward Emily. Jack's gaze followed Sharon's nod, and his eyes grew wide at the sight. He quickly grabbed his things and followed Sharon and Andy toward Emily.

"Emily," Sharon smiled softly, "you came."

Emily remained seated, staring off into space. She seemed to be in a daze, probably shocked at how things had gone in court.

"Em?" Andy asked, snapping her out of her daze.

"Mom, Dad, Andy," she nodded, as she tried desperately not to make eye contact with them. "Where are they taking him now?" she asked.

Jack jumped in, "Ahh, they'll be getting him ready for transport back to the jail now. He'll be back in court in a few days for everything, including sentencing."

Emily nodded, watching him at the front of the room. There was so much to say, yet there was nothing to say.

"Did you want to speak to him, or have you already?" Jack asked.

Emily, still in a fog, looked up at her parents. Clearly, they were worried about her, "Huh? Oh, no, I haven't spoken to him. I don't know if he's aware I'm here. I came from the airport," she nodded, when Sharon noticed she had a couple of bags right there with her, situated on her lap.

"Emily, did you take a taxi or something? If you would have communicated with any of us, we could have picked you up," Sharon said sternly.

"Mom," Emily shook her head, "not now. Yes, I just came from the airport. Threw a few things together," she waved at the stuff she had sitting with her.

"Emily, if you want to speak to him, you can," Andy offered trying to keep the peace for the moment. He wanted to ring her neck too, but it wasn't the time or the place. Emily's eyes shot up to Andy as he said that.

"I need to speak to him," she added. "I deserve that much."

Jack turned to Andy and Sharon, "Listen, I cleared my schedule for the morning, so why don't I deal with this right now," he nodded his head toward Emily. "I'll deal with her getting in-can't hurt to have a lawyer with you anyways going to the jail and all," he shrugged. "I'm guessing she hasn't eaten, so I'll take care of her and catch you up on things later?" he offered.

Sharon glanced to Emily again, noting she was staring straight ahead toward Steve, almost in a trance. Sharon nodded to Jack; they were talking right in front of Emily, but Emily seemed to be oblivious. "Okay," she nodded. "Better for us to back off right now," Sharon nodded, as Andy clasped her hand from where he was standing behind Sharon. "We'll head back over to work. Keep me posted, please?" she asked.

"I will," Jack nodded. "Promise, really."

Andy nodded to Jack, and he and Sharon turned to Emily, "We'll leave you with your dad now, Em. This will all get sorted out," he patted her shoulder, as Sharon squeezed Emily's hand that was holding the bag on her lap.

Sharon and Andy moved out of the way quickly toward the hallway. Once they got into the hall, they both moved toward the corner of the hall to talk.

"What is going on with her?" Sharon hissed, visibly irritated with Emily. Andy shook his head, dumbfounded himself.

"She's most likely in shock," he sighed. "Couldn't tell if she was thrilled to see the dirt bag or disgusted. Man, she had the best poker face if I've ever seen one."

"No communication," Sharon threw up her arms. "Nothing. Just shows up in court. Flies across the country, asks for no help, and now, we have no idea if she's in love with the guy or wants to send him packing." Sharon sighed. Andy grabbed her hand as she started pacing and pulled her toward the elevator.

"Come on; we can talk somewhere else. Let's get out of here," he nodded, as the elevator opened. They remained quiet on the ride downstairs, as there were other people on the elevator.

Sharon stood in the elevator, fuming. She was tapping her foot, and Andy was very aware of how ticked off she was. He wasn't far behind her in that, but miraculously, he was much calmer. It probably helped he'd pulled out his phone and was looking at pictures of the ducks. They always calmed him down. He got an idea.

Sharon's phone dinged, and she rooted around in her purse to find it. She pulled it out, and Andy saw a small smile form. Seems his idea had worked. Sharon's tension broke, as he saw her typing a response. Andy had sent a picture of the ducks, taken the other day at home. He'd caught Faith shoving Tom to the floor, fighting him for the crackers that were on their little play table area. Faith took her eating very seriously. Andy had actually been trying to get a picture of the two, who had been standing there together looking so sweet and innocent, but when he'd finally gotten around to taking the picture, he caught Faith in mid shove. She looked like the total bully. He'd put a caption under it, which is what got Sharon chuckling, "When you think your day is crappy, just remember no one stole your food." It was silly and corny, but it worked. Sharon laughed at the image. This would probably be one of those pictures that would show up on Faith's wedding day. They had both already gotten a good laugh or two from it, and right now, it worked again. Sharon turned toward Andy, where he had a sad smile. She mouthed a, "Thank you," to him, to which he nodded.

Once they got off the elevator, Andy pulled Sharon into his side; he didn't care. So what if people saw him with his arm around the Assistant Chief? She was his wife, and today, well, today, protocol needed to go. His wife needed him, period. Sharon seemed to know it too, squeezing his side, when he pulled her in. They walked to toward the car like that.

Sharon broke the silence, "Thank you for the picture of Faithy and Tom," she chuckled. "Gosh, hard to believe that Emily used to be that sweet."

"What's the plan with her? Any ideas?" Andy asked jumping into things.

Sharon shook her head, "No. I don't know if she's staying or flying back tonight. She had those two small bags with her, but who knows. Hopefully, Jack will get somewhere with her."

Andy had just opened Sharon's car door and helped her inside, when her phone dinged again. Seeing that Andy was opening his own door, she figured he hadn't sent the text. She dug her phone out, as Andy got situated and started the car. He looked to her before pulling out.

"Jack," she nodded to the phone, as she saw she had a text from him. She opened her messages to read it, sighing and closing her eyes when she did.

"What?" Andy asked, "What now?"'

Sharon still sat, eyes closed, holding her phone toward Andy so he could read it, "How can Jack do the right thing and still have absolutely zero tact?" she asked, giving Andy no indication to what was going on. He took hold of the phone, giving Sharon a strange look, wondering what was going on.

He sighed loudly as he read Jack's poor choice of words, "You won't believe this, Sharon. Baby on board, Grandma."

"Really, Jack!" Andy said loudly as Sharon nodded, sighing, as if Jack could hear them through a text message. It was a mess.

 **So, as I've said, this story includes just about every single possible story idea people have suggested. I had WAY too many people telling me Emily needed to be pregnant (and yes, a few-just a small few, who said she shouldn't be), that I had to include it too. The mess continues...**


	46. Chapter 46

Andy pulled the car out of the parking lot, while Sharon gathered herself enough to return Jack's text, "Is she sure?" Sharon asked Jack, as she repeated what she'd typed to Andy.

Both waited for Jack's response, as Sharon shook her head. Andy was tapping on the steering wheel; he was out of sorts too.

"Most definitely, sure," Jack replied. "Visibly sure-you didn't notice because she had the bags on her lap. I'll get the details and get back to you. On the elevator now, heading over to county."

"Oh," Sharon said aloud, causing Andy to turn toward her, "She's apparently showing; she's that far along. We didn't see because it sounds like she disguised herself well in the courtroom with her stuff.

Andy shook his head, "Of all the dirt bags! Sharon, do you realize what this does? How the kids are all related?" he fumed.

Andy put her hand on his arm, "I know! I know! I could just strangle her! Goodness, it's horrible enough she married him, the same guy who came after me. Now, a child! Andy, that's our grandchild, but oh, what a mess!" she sighed, tears in her eyes. "Andy, what about dance for her? He convinced her to give that up?"

"Hey," he said to her, visibly calmer after Sharon and calmed him down with just the touch of her hand, "We're a team together. We'll tackle this together, okay? It's bad; it's worse than we imagined, but we're in this together, okay?"

Sharon just nodded and gave him a small smile as he pulled into the parking garage at the station. Sharon shook her head, "Andy, I think I'm going to be sick over this," she sighed.

"Tell you what," he said, as he ran his hand up and down her knee, calming her. She turned to him as he continued, "You have meetings this morning, right? Finish those, and we'll grab the kids and go home at lunch. I think we could both use a break. Provenza will be fine, and Major Crimes isn't on call the next few days. Okay?"

Sharon began to protest, "Do it for our family, Sharon. Spend some time with the ducks, me. We'll deal with Emily together, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay," she shrugged. "Let's get to work then if we are taking the afternoon off."

By mid-afternoon, Andy and Sharon found themselves at home. The ducks were taking their afternoon nap, and Sharon and Andy were seated at the kitchen table, drinking tea, and talking. Jack had kept in touch. He continued to impress both; he was doing a good job. He'd taken the rest of the day off as well, and he was on his way over with Emily. Ready or not, they were all going to face each other. The two of them just hoped the tension didn't escalate and wake the ducks.

A knock at the door, alerted them that Jack and Emily where there. Sharon appreciated that Jack remembered to knock; she'd told him the twins would be sleeping. Andy went to the door to answer it.

"Flynn," Jack nodded, as Andy moved out of the way. Emily lingered behind him, looking anywhere but toward Andy and the house.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Emily. Come inside," Sharon scolded her. This spoiled child act was getting old. As Emily entered, everyone could most definitely see she was pregnant. She wasn't huge, but at the same time, she was normally a ballerina, so the evidence was very visible.

Andy stopped her as she started to enter and looked at her, "Look, I know you've been with your dad most of the day, and I'm sure you're not excited to be here, even though we've done nothing but love you. Let me be clear-you are going to be respectful to your mother. I won't tolerate you being nasty or yelling at her. You're going to keep your voice down. My kids," he pointed down the hall, "are taking a nap. You are going to talk to us, so any ideas you have of this sulky attitude need to disappear. Clear?" he asked very pointedly. Sharon had walked next to him when he'd started to read her the riot act.

"Okay," Emily nodded, "Mom," she nodded to Sharon, looking down. Sharon pulled her into a hug, even if Emily wanted anything but that. Emily didn't relax, but she didn't fight Sharon either. When Sharon let her go, Emily quickly moved toward the couch to sit down. Jack was standing in the middle of the room, still, just watching.

"Sit down, Jack," Sharon offered him, as she moved about the room. Andy closed the door and moved to the kitchen where he had a pot of coffee on.

"Coffee?" he called out to the group. He noted Jack nodding, as did Sharon.

Emily, quietly, just said, "Water, please."

Andy returned with the drinks, sitting down on the couch next to Sharon. Emily was perched on the recliner, and Jack sat on the opposite couch.

"So," Sharon said very bluntly, "catch us up on oh," she turned her head, looking at Emily, lips pursed, "the last five months or so?" she said almost as a question.

Emily nodded, "22 weeks, now. It's a boy," she said softly. "Due mid-August. I knew how you felt about him, so it's been easier to just stay away. My life, my body, my decisions," she shrugged.

"Yeah, that's a really mature attitude," Andy said shaking his head. "Poor Emily-you just show up here, five and a half months pregnant, and you're the victim, Emily? Come on!" Andy said. "I hear stories like this in AA all the time, and until you admit what you have done, the decisions you have made, you won't be able to move on. We've been worried sick about you for months. You dad, your mom, and I have even worked together, and you know what that's like," Andy shook his head, "to try and get through to you. You can't show up here playing the 'Poor Me' card that we don't care about you. Far from it," he sneered.

Emily's eyes grew wide at Andy's delivery. She wasn't used to anyone, even Jack, being blunt like that. Well, Sharon was with her, but she wasn't used to a father doing that. She noted that he and her mom were sitting very close together, a united front so to speak. She'd missed the wedding; she'd been absent from their lives. Apparently, this is what a normal marriage looked like.

"Look, you're right; I do have to take ownership for my decisions. I know that. I don't want my baby growing up where he's not wanted. You don't like what I've decided, so fine. I'm staying away," she flung her arms around.

"Really? Because this attitude toward your mom and Flynn is a lot different than the one I got earlier today," Jack nodded to her. "How about you come clean with all of us? Stop playing the victim; Flynn was right about that. You tried the 'I'm in a mess, Daddy' card with me earlier. Let's hear it. I told you that you could stay with me, which you can, but you're going to come clean with all of us first. You're close to 30, close to being a mother yourself, so start acting like an adult."

"Emily," Sharon said sternly. "Now. Tell us why you are here and what's going on."

Suddenly, the walls came crashing down; Emily's dam broke, and the tears started flowing. For once, it seemed genuine, yet none of the parents attempted to move. They all needed to hear whatever was going on.

"Oh, I've messed up," she started. "Why couldn't I have listened? I've been beating myself up now for weeks that you were all right, but I couldn't face it. I had divorce papers drawn up three weeks ago when I came home and caught him with another woman. I'm so, so stupid," she shook her head. "I've gone and made a bigger mess for myself, something that I will live with now for the rest of my life. He hadn't signed the papers yet, claiming he'd deal with me when he got back home from his latest round of business trips. That's why I was surprised he was here in LA. You would have thought that after I caught him with a woman in our own home, that his lying further shouldn't surprise me; he never mentioned anything about coming to LA. I was ready to walk away with nothing," she nodded. "Nothing but a growing mess," she indicated to her stomach. "He'd had me sign a pre-nup, and I was so stupidly blind in love, I didn't think anything of it. Ironically, one of the clauses was cheating, and when I called him on that when I caught him, he of course said I had no proof, which I didn't-nothing that would stick. Finally, today, I have legal proof. Ironic isn't it, that I'm glad my own husband was arrested. It's not even about the money for me, but since he's left me with this," she grabbed her stomach, "I feel the baby deserves better. Steve told me he'd make sure neither the baby nor I would get a dime, even saying he was having a paternity test done; it couldn't be his kid," she sighed. "As if I'd ever been anywhere but at home, waiting for him, the man I thought I loved with my whole soul. No, he's the one who has been doing whatever all over. Mom, I am so, so, very sorry I blamed you. Steve convinced me you were the problem-told me that you discarded him and as soon as you found out you were pregnant, you threatened to tell his wife because he wouldn't leave her. He made it sound like you were going after him, and that when you couldn't have him, you punished him by taking the kids, signing away his rights. Mom, I'm so sorry. I see it now. I am so angry with myself that I believed that. I believed a man over my own mother, my own family. I see that he manipulated you, me-so many people, and I hate myself now. I hate that I caused this mess within our family and now to a child that is coming into this world," she sighed, as she continued to let the tears roll. "He tried to get me to quit dance, even. Told me that I didn't need that in my life, that it was keeping us from traveling together. I almost quit too. Almost. I'd convinced myself I was going to quit here as I got further and further along with the pregnancy, and I was planning to talk to my director after Easter, that is, until I came home and caught him. I'm so, so stupid. Now, here I am. Andy, you keep saying I need to take responsibility. I know that. I've been coming to terms with that now for weeks. I'm here, with a baby I don't want, a reminder of everything horrible that I've decided for myself. I didn't think I wanted kids for years, and he even changed my mind on that! I'm so stupid. I hate the idea of looking at an innocent baby, knowing I struggle to love that baby because of his father. I just don't think I can. I think I'll see pain and hatred. I'm so messed up. I know. Andy, you talk about rock bottom sometimes. I'm there," she said crying as she was now shaking.

Andy sighed and put his head in his hand. Jack shook his head at Sharon, and she was visibly shaken too. Sharon stood and moved to the arm chair, putting one arm around Emily's shoulder.

"Emily, there's been so much damage, so much," she sighed as she held onto Emily. "I can't pretend I'm not mad; I am, and I've been very hurt by you and your actions, all the while trying to still love you. Andy and I have made a loving home here, and you turned your back on it. Your brothers, sisters, we all have been trying hard to be a family. Even your dad here is trying," she nodded to Jack. He returned the nod. "You are right. This is a terrible mess, but I will never stop loving you. This isn't going to fix itself today, not in the least, but you haven't lost us. You never did. We all thought we'd lost you; you turned away from all of us. I'm sick about all of this, but hope isn't lost."

Emily nodded, "I know. I know. I'm sorry. I will keep saying that forever, I'm afraid."

"Emily, there is one person in this room who understands forgiveness more than anyone I could ever imagine. Andy can teach us all a lot. He's worked through more than he ever should to forgive. I know you and I can work through things too. It's a very different situation, but if he and I could work though things, eventually you and I will too," Sharon said as she stood and started to make her way back to Andy. The kids' voices alerted the room they were awake from their naps.

"Dada! Dada!" they heard. Andy started to stand, but Sharon, who was already standing, stopped him, "No, I'll get them," she nodded to Andy, which he knew was just as much for her to collect herself as it was to get the twins.

Andy looked to Jack, and Jack shook his head in disbelief at everything, "So," Andy said, "Em's going to stay with you?" he asked Jack.

Jack looked to Emily, and she nodded, "Yeah, that's the plan. We can discuss details later, but for right now, she can stay with me. I have a two-bedroom apartment now."

"Dada hi!" they heard as Tom came flying toward Andy. Andy's smile grew wide, as Tom reached his legs. Andy picked him up and put him on his knee. Tom looked at the newer faces in the room and turned back to Andy, "Dada yums!"

Andy grinned, as he stood, both Jack and Emily watching him move around effortlessly with Tom, "Hungry man? Okay, let's get you a snack."

"Yums!" Tom said again as Andy, holding Tom, made his way to the kitchen to get food for the kids.

"Flynn, I can't believe I'm offering, but need any help?" Jack asked.

"I'm good, Jack. Thanks. We already have their sippy cups filled with milk ready for them. Let me just grab that and some crackers for them," Andy explained.

"Dada!" Faith came running down the hall, excited to see that Andy was home. Being home in the middle of the day was a rarity. Faith's running caused Emily to turn toward her.

"Oh, she's beautiful," she said smiling at Faith, who now had her arm wrapped around Andy's leg as he tried to maneuver the ducks to their toddler table for their snack. They had their own table setup next to the dining room table. "Gosh, she looks like Mom," Emily sniffled, still trying to calm herself down.

"Tom, mine!" Faith yelled at Tom, trying to grab the cracker from him. Andy stopped her quickly.

"No Faith. Share. We share," he scolded as Sharon walked back into the room. She surveyed the scene. Jack was drinking his coffee on the couch, watching everything, and Emily was staring off into space again, this time, her focus seemed to be on Faith.

"I changed Tom's diaper first thinking he'd be able to start on his snack without Faith stealing it," she said, almost ignoring that Emily with her huge mess, literally, sat a few steps away.

"Well, we are still working on sharing," Andy said slightly irritated at Faith's insistence on being a bully.

Andy got the kids situated while Sharon grabbed more snacks, and once the ducks were busy eating, the two made their way back over to the couches.

"I barely know them," Emily started to cry again, "and it's all my fault. Oh, there's no way I can do that," she waved, "take care of a child I can't love."

"Emily, if I let my own pity party take over my life two years ago, I'd still be stuck on this couch, probably a drunk mess, complaining about how horribly I'd been screwed over in my life. I would," he stated. "I dug deep, deeper than I could have ever imagined, deeper than I thought possible, and after a lot of work, a lot of talking, a lot of forgiveness," he squeezed Sharon's hand, "those kids are my total joy. Sharon will tell you I couldn't stand the sight of them at first. No, I was in a bad place; we were in a bad place, but we put in a lot, and I mean a lot, "he nodded to Sharon, "of work to get here. Look at them," he nodded to the kids, "they are my world, our world."

"Emily, I think you are way too emotional right now to be talking about anything," Jack added. "Let's get back to facts. You have the divorce papers. Where?"

Emily situated herself and turned to Jack, "He signed them today," she nodded. "I threatened to go after everything, not just the half I'd agreed to in the pre-nup with an affair. I get half, and I get out. He signed them today. His work is letting him keep his job with the guilty plea. I think he's trying to work out a deal. I don't even care; I got legal proof for the divorce."

"I want to look them over," Jack nodded, "before anything if filed, let me look everything over. Last thing you need is even bigger problems than now.

"Fine," she waved. "They are in the car, in my bag. That's why I wanted to see him, well, one reason."

"Emily, what does he say about the baby?" Sharon asked.

"When I filed for divorce a few weeks ago, he told me first he didn't think the baby was his-it was his way of trying to anger me even more. He knows it's his, and then before this trip, he told me that I would never prove anything; he'd keep everything from the pre-nup, and he was going to sue me for full custody. He told me his lawyers would handle things, which is ironic. He has no interest in raising a baby; I think he just wanted to hurt me anyway he could. He'd have just continued his normal path, hiring someone for the baby or passing the baby along to his next unsuspecting girl. I say girl because the woman I caught him with was younger than me," she shook her head. "He's a pig."

"I have spent the last two years calling him a dirt bag," Andy offered. "Pig works, too," he nodded.

"Today, when I had him sign the papers, he told me he didn't care if he saw me or the baby again; he was done with me," she wiped her eyes, as she said that. "I took the bait-hook, line, and sinker, and now here I am-stuck with his baby," she cried.

The kids had finished their snacks and had made their way back to the couch where Sharon and Andy were sitting. Andy picked up Faith, while Sharon took Tom. They looked like a very happy family.

"This is a bit much," Emily admitted, pointing toward the kids. "I'm sorry; it's not them. I just-I need a break right now."

Jack stood, "Look, I'll take her to my place now, and we can talk more later?" he offered.

"Dada who?" Tom pointed to Emily.

Andy followed Tom's finger, "Tom, that's your sister, Emily," he explained. "Sister, just like Faithy."

"Emmy," he repeated, almost getting it right. Faith copied it too, "Emmy!" she squealed.

Emily closed her eyes, as she stood, clutching her stomach, "I'm sorry; I really need to go now," she said as she teared up again. Sharon stood, holding Tom, and she pulled Emily in for a hug.

"Don't shut us out again," Sharon whispered to her, "I'll get over being mad and hurt, but don't walk away. We're your family, and we love you, no matter how bad the mess."


	47. Chapter 47

**Maybe I should have titled this chapter, "Tom's Revenge." A reader commented that it would be great to see Tom stand up to Faith, and I already had this idea in the works. Hope it doesn't disappoint! Sorry the chapter is a bit shorter, but I thought the ducks would be a welcome read after Emily's mess blew into town.**

"Hi Mama!" Sharon heard as she pulled herself from a deep sleep. Sharon's eyes flew open to the sound of Tom's voice, and she saw the sweet baby standing next to her bed looking at her. He had her glasses in his little chubby hands, trying to hand them to her, but instead putting fingerprints all over them.

"Hi sweet boy," she smiled, but froze as she felt Andy's arm loop around her waist and pull her closer to him. She sat up, quickly, so quickly that it scared Andy.

"Oh, my goodness!" she said, causing Andy to sit up quickly. His thoughts of slowly waking up were obviously over.

"What's wrong?" he asked, still groggy, looking at Sharon. Sharon pointed to Tom, standing there by her side of the bed.

"How'd he get there?" Andy asked.

Sharon glared at him, "Well, at first, I thought you were already up and had gotten the kids up, but I quickly realized you weren't up either. Andy, I think he climbed out of his crib." Tom stood there, just looking at his parents, smiling like the sweet, laid back boy he was. Sharon scurried out of bed.

"Tom, where's Faith?" Sharon asked.

"Faithy bed," he pointed toward the hallway, toward their room. Andy was struggling to get up this morning; he was exhausted, so he was still sitting on the bed, feet reaching the floor, trying to wake up. Sharon grabbed her glasses and tried to clean them up as she started to follow Tom out of the room. He did his little toddler run to the door, as Sharon followed him.

"Let the interrogation begin," Andy chuckled, as Sharon followed Tom down the hall to the ducks' room. The door was open; they always left it open a tad, but it did look like Tom had gotten out.

Sharon didn't get to the room before she heard, "No, Tom, no!" being shouted from the ducks' room. Yes, Faith was apparently awake too. Sharon walked in, and she had to cover her mouth to keep herself from laughing. Oh, sweet, mild-mannered, laid-back Tom appeared to have gotten his revenge. Faith's crib had been stripped of anything she liked to sleep with. Tom had apparently pulled all her toys and her blanket through the side slats, throwing them on the floor, keeping them as far away from Faith as possible, and Faith wasn't liking it one bit.

"Andy," Sharon said, now laughing. Tom stood there, looking at Sharon, with no reaction at all on his face. "Andy, would you come here?" she continued to chuckle as he made his way into the room. Faith was still in her crib, on her stomach with her arm stretched through the slats trying to reach a small bunny blanket she liked to sleep with, but Tom had put it just out of her reach.

Sharon heard Andy walk in, and then she heard him start laughing too, as Tom just stood there, "Oh, I see someone finally got tired of the cookie bully," he chuckled.

"Oh, my goodness," Sharon said still laughing. "I know I shouldn't be laughing, but this is so funny. Look at Faithy there trying to get her stuff back. While the ducks couldn't put a lot of words together yet, they seemed to understand much more. Tom looked over to see Faith struggling to get her stuff, so he walked over, and when Sharon and Andy thought he was going to be the sweet boy they knew, he picked up her bunny blanket and stuffed it through the slats into his crib.

"Tom!" Faith now stood, mad, and she started jumping up and down, holding onto the crib. "Mama, Dada!" Faith said totally mad. Oh, her temper was coming out in full force now. Andy quickly moved to grab Faith. She had a lot to tick her off this morning. Tom had gotten out of his crib, and she hadn't. He'd pulled everything out of hers, most likely waking her in the process, and just when she thought her brother was about to help her, he'd tricked her again.

"Calm down, Faithy," Andy said, as he consoled her and moved her to the changing table. Sharon was on the floor collecting everything Tom had pulled out of the crib.

"Tom, help Mommy," Sharon instructed, and Tom started to hand her the toys and things from Faith's crib. Now that the toddlers were getting older, they slept with more and more stuff in their beds. Sharon and Andy hadn't had to worry about the twins getting out of their beds, until now, but it was apparently something they were going to have to address. Now that Tom could do that, safety was an issue.

"These two crack me up," Andy chuckled as he finished changing Faith's diaper. Sharon had handed him Faith's bunny blanket while he was changing her, and she'd calmed down considerably. Andy released Faith from her stay on the changing table, and she walked over to Tom, and said, "No play," to him. Sharon and Andy's eyes met, and they both started laughing again. Tom didn't react, but Andy scooped him up to change him as well.

"He's got this silent protest thing down pat already," Andy chuckled. "No reaction to Faith. Sharon these two are going to be quite the pair growing up. What a mess," he shook his head, as Sharon stood, all toys and things collected from Faith's crib.

"Andy, he even pulled off part of her sheet," Sharon laughed. "Oh, that boy," she chuckled. "Well, I think even Tom knew we needed a laugh after yesterday. Good morning," she leaned up to kiss Andy after he'd also finished with Tom.

"Morning, Sweetheart," he smiled at her. "Let me wash up, and I'll be glad to greet you properly."

Sharon smiled at him, "Sounds good; let me take these two to the kitchen for nourishment, and I'll start the coffee. I am afraid we might need to separate their rooms sooner than later if Tom's now planning to start each day like this.

Andy grinned, as he moved toward the door, heading to their bathroom, "Well, I guess we can chalk that up to something he did first. He spoke first, and now, he's the first to climb out of the crib. Just couldn't take the bossy little sister anymore," he chuckled. "Maybe you can talk to Faith about being bossy," he smirked.

Sharon threw a glare at him, "Andrew Flynn! So mean. I can't believe you would suggest my daughter would get that trait from me," she huffed.

"Hey," he said before he ducked out of the room, "just call it like I see it. I remember Faith's mom stealing food off my plates way back when, before we were ever dating, or even not dating," he winked and darted down the hall to get away from Sharon. Yes, the wake-up call from Tom and early morning banter back and forth was just what this family needed after the tense day prior with Emily.

The Flynn family had settled into their normal morning routine after that. Tom had started his morning wake-up call 15 minutes before Sharon and Andy's alarms were set to go off, so the family was on schedule for getting to work. As they made the drive in, the twins babbled in the backseat, finishing their sippy cups, while Sharon and Andy tried to fully wake up.

"So, Jack's dealing with Emily this morning?" Andy asked. Jack had sent them a few texts the night before updating them on Emily, and now, Andy was trying to clarify the day.

"Yes," Sharon nodded, after taking a sip of her tea from her travel mug. "He's taking her to the office with him. One of his colleagues specializes in family law and all. He's going to look over everything Emily has."

"Did you get any sleep at all last night?" Andy asked.

Sharon smiled toward him, "Thank you for worry about me," she clasped her hand in his. "Surprisingly, I slept better last night than I have in awhile. We've been so worried about her. I guess knowing, even knowing just how bad this all is, gave me a sense of calmness. So, yes, I slept well, actually, that is until the blanket bandit back there decided to wake up the house." Sharon grinned at Andy, as she glanced toward the backseat. "I do hope Emily can get her life straightened out. I know she's at her lowest now, and she's the only one who can want to make her own life better, but I hope she will."

"I do too," Andy squeezed her hand tighter. "She's got a lot of support, that's for sure."

Sharon nodded, "Yes, and I know just how important that support is, even when the one providing the support wanted to do so in silence and without recognition," she threw a glance at him, making sure he knew what his support had meant to her when she was at her lowest with the ducks and all.

"Well, when she's ready, she's got a lot of support, and might I add, who would have ever thought Jack would come through for the kids?" Andy commented.

Sharon nodded, as she closed her eyes, "I'm still shocked, expecting to have the sky fall open or something. Not only is he helping, he's provided her a decent, safe place to stay."

"It's a crazy world when Jack is turning out to be a decent human being," Andy shook his head. "How long is Emily staying?"

"Not sure," Sharon replied. "Jack asked me when we wanted to get together again. I asked him if he'd bring Emily over tomorrow. With it being Friday, I knew I'd have a long day; Fridays always are. He said that should be fine; he said he might have a meeting in the morning-some client, but he'd drop Emily off at our house. I hope that's okay. He sent me that text when you were putting the twins in the car."

Andy waved it off, "That's fine. I guess that gives us some time today to think all this through."

"Yes," Sharon nodded, "and, it's looking like our day is starting now since we're here."

"Well," Andy grinned as he pulled into Sharon's parking place, "let's get the ducks upstairs and explain to them that Tom has now started pole vaulting out of his crib. You do realize this completely rocks our world at home now, right? Sharon, the ducks are growing up fast, and we've got to discuss moving them, our babies, out of their cribs," he sighed, as he got out of the car and looked in the backseat. "Those two-causing trouble for us already," he grinned, as his eye caught Sharon's before the two started to unbuckle the kids.

"Oh, finally, a trait they get from you," she smirked.


	48. Chapter 48

**So, Emily still has some behavior issues...and, Sharon will be addressing them.**

"How do you love them?" Emily asked Sharon. The two were on a walk; it was Saturday morning, and Jack had dropped Emily off at Sharon and Andy's house. Andy had been called into work around 2:00 AM; they had a murder, but they'd already almost solved it. Jack had client meetings. Sharon and the ducks were home, and when Emily arrived, she suggested they take the kids on a walk around the neighborhood. So, here they were-the ducks in their stroller, munching on their morning snack while Sharon and Emily were walking.

"What do you mean?" Sharon asked, throwing a glance at Emily.

Emily just sighed as she looked to her much younger brother and sister, "I mean, how do you look at them and love them. Mom, I don't love this baby; I can't seem to come to terms with all this. So, how do you do it? How do you look at them and love them, seeing HIM in them?"

Sharon pursed her lips. She had a lot she wanted to say, most of it stuff Emily probably didn't want to hear, like that Emily needed to grow up and quickly, but she held back, for now. She looked down at the ducks and smiled at them, "They're mine," she nodded. "I love anything that's mine. It's not something you have to teach yourself; it happens. They're mine, just as much as you and Ricky are-Rusty too, but in a different way. Families are made up of a lot of different pieces; it's not always a perfect picture, but they are mine. I'll always love them."

"Yeah, but I mean, you have to admit, when you look at Tom, I see HIM. They look alike. I don't think I can do this; I can't look at a baby and see HIM. He's destroyed me, granted, I let it happen," she sighed, rubbing her side where she was feeling some pressure and pain from her own baby kicking her. "I see it in Tom, and I have to admit, I'm having trouble just looking at him. How do you do it?" she asked.

Sharon stopped walking and turned to Emily, "You have to grow up and move past it, Emily. You have to love your child, or children in my case, because they also came from you. It's funny you say that you see Steve in Tom; I don't at all. Now, you might call me naïve, but I don't. I realize there's a resemblance, but I see none of him because he is garbage. Tom, look at that sweet face," she smiled down at him, "Tom is not garbage; he never will be. Tom will be raised to be a loving, kind man, just like his father-Andy. I look at Tom everyday and see Andy. You might not get it yet, but I do. I see the very loving man in both kids. Honey, Andy has been there throughout all this, even when he really didn't want to. I've told you our path wasn't easy, and honestly, I never thought we'd get here. I never thought he'd speak to me again, but look at the work we put into this. I see Andy. I see the man that, as much as he was hurting, snuck into my hospital room the night they were born to check on all of us, to make sure that even me, someone he could barely look at then, was okay. Andy's even said that he didn't even want to look at the twins that night, but when he'd stopped by, they were awake. Faith was stirring, and he picked her up to not wake me up. He said that for the longest time he didn't want to look at them; it was too hard, but even he saw through the hurt, the pain. He started to see the beautiful babies they are, and he said that one of the things that helped him was seeing that they were my babies, something from me, and deep down, even though he probably didn't want to admit it again then, he knew he still loved me. He loved me, and because of it, he loved them. He's worked through that and so much more, and he couldn't love them anymore if he tried. I see the loving man in Tom that Andy is, and that as his father, Andy will raise Tom to be so much like him. Andy had every right to throw our life away; I'd trashed it and done the unthinkable to him, when he just wanted to love me. Instead, even in his pain and suffering, Andy was and still is a good man. He hauled his best friend to my condo while I was in the hospital to put together cribs he'd bought, all the gear he had bought for them. In his pain, he still was watching out for me, for us," she indicated to the kids. He had the team buy this stroller, one that I wanted, even as he anguished over things. Emily, sometimes, things are much, much greater than biology. Love, love is greater than biology," she sighed. Sharon started walking again, even as Emily stood there standing. Sharon walked slowly, as Emily caught up.

"I didn't know any of that," she admitted.

"You haven't been around. You've been punishing me for my mistakes, really the whole family, then for your mistakes. Emily, I'm aware of every single mistake I made. Every one. I don't need you to remind me, to hold me accountable for them. I'm doing that myself. Andy doesn't do that; we wouldn't be in a loving marriage if he did. That's between me and really, myself. Andy and I have dealt with them, and honestly, he's the only one who gets a say in my mistakes. I don't stand here holding some grudge at you. Mad, yes, I am right now, but we'll work through it. I'm not shutting you out; I am not doing the 'I told you so,' no, I'm here because I'm your mother, and I love you. You are the only one who can own up to and address your mistakes, no one else. You can't even blame Steve. I've stopped doing that. I fully participated in the mess that got me here. You did too, even after we tried to warn you. I'm not judging you over and over because of that. Do I wish it turned out differently? Absolutely. I wish you weren't standing here, almost divorced and pregnant with a baby from a horrible man, but you are. Emily, it's your baby, and he's coming whether you want it or not. Believe me, I spent nine months in denial. I wasn't looking forward to them at all; I blamed them for a long time for ruining things, but Emily, it's not an innocent baby's fault. It's yours and yours alone, and until you can start to deal with that, you will continue to spiral in your mess. You ask how I love them? Couldn't that be said of you and Ricky? Your dad left me and cheated on me over and over. In your logic, how could I love you seeing Jack's horrible choices? There's no question; I love you. You are my children, even with a crappy father. Now, I'm glad Jack is sober and doing much better right now, but we had decades of pain there, and I still loved you through all of it. It wasn't about seeing Jack in you; it was seeing what a beautiful child I was given."

Emily was quiet as they walked and processed what Sharon had said. She'd been getting an earful from her dad and her mom, Andy too. It was a lot to take in, "He wouldn't sign the termination papers," she sighed, rubbing her side. "He wouldn't give up his parental rights, and that scares me."

Sharon turned to look at Emily, "What did he say?"

Emily took a deep breath, "He said this was his baby-ironic that just a week ago, he was questioning that," she shook her head, "and that he and I were married, a family, or I guess we had been. He said he hadn't signed off rights on kids from his marriages because they were his kids, which is so twisted. I don't know how you got him to do that, but he won't do it right now."

"Well, I wasn't married to him, and at the time, I didn't know that he was married. His wife, then, was pregnant too, and he didn't want her to know about things with me. So, that might be why," she shrugged. "If you want him to terminate his rights, you need to keep pressing for that. It's the only way to make a full break, and for me, it allowed Andy to legally be their father, not just listed as a stepfather. That's between you and your husband, though. You have been legally married to him, and that is his baby. It's something you might have to fight for a long time. Mistakes don't easily get fixed."

"So, you don't ever think of him as their father?" she nodded to the ducks, who were now nodding off. It was naptime, but Sharon didn't want to interrupt their conversation.

"No, I don't. Andy is their father. He's loved them more already than I could have ever asked or imagined. Biology isn't everything; it's just biology. Being a father, a parent, is everything else-being there, sharing in the joy and the pain even, sharing a life. I think back on their short life, and every memory has Andy in it. You can love your little boy. Your life isn't going to be the storybook you imagined, but no one has a story like that. You'll adjust, and it will be hard, but you can do this."

"I'm not sure I can," Emily admitted. "I've thought about putting him up for adoption," she admitted. "I've thought it would be easier for me-I wouldn't have to look at him. I could go back to ballet and forget all of this," she sighed.

Sharon pursed her lips. Oh, she had so much to say, but she was really trying hard not to go off on Emily now, mainly right now because her tone would certainly wake the kids, "Emily, we are both certainly aware you are an adult making your own decisions, painfully aware in fact," she snarled as she tried to hold back her rage. "Do not make any choices now. You have time. My goodness, this isn't something that happened to you. You wanted this at the time when it happened. You aren't 15 or something, making dumb kid mistakes. You're an adult; you were married, even if it was to total scum; you two decided this was a great idea; you have a career; you have money-Emily start thinking. I know this is your decision, but realize that you haven't made good ones for a while, and this might be another bad one."

"I just want my life back," she sighed.

"This isn't about you; your life isn't gone. YOU altered it, so own up to it. Being a mother means your life isn't your own; it belongs to your kids," Sharon shook her head as they were arriving back at the house. "Don't you think I loved my life before all this?" she indicated to the twins. "Let's back up to before I even took that NFL job-I was happy. I had Andy, you, Ricky, Rusty-a job I loved. I loved the condo too. So, it would have been better to say I wanted my old life back, to give them up because I was so selfish to realize the choices I had made had altered my life? No, I dealt with it. It wasn't easy, but I did. Andy too. I remember the day I moved here. A small part of me was sad to see the condo go; I'd loved my life there, but I was thrilled, so thrilled to move here, in with the love of my life and our family. Do you think that when your dad walked out on me over and over that I should have just said life wasn't fair and thrown in the towel? No, I had to fight. So, stop feeling sorry for yourself and start fighting. There's a fighter in there, but you must want it. You have to want to fight for your future," Sharon sighed as she tried to catch her breath. "I loved my old life, well before this, but now, I can't imagine them," she nodded to the ducks, "I can't imagine a life without them," she shrugged.

"I think I'll take another lap around the block," she nodded to Sharon and started to keep walking, "Go on inside with them. I want to be alone."

Sharon closed her eyes and took a deep breath, moving the stroller to the garage. She looked down at the twins, still asleep and took another deep breath. Emily still wasn't seeing it. Just when they all thought she might be making progress, she wasn't.

The buzzing of Sharon's phone finally put a smile on her face, "You always know when to call," she gave a small smile into the phone.

"Hey," he said to her, "looks like we are finishing up here. Thank goodness for a dumb dirt bag," he chuckled. "So, I wanted to see if I could bring lunch to my beautiful wife at home. I should be done in another hour, and I was thinking that it might be a great day to let the ducks play in their sandbox."

Sharon smiled, "I like your thinking. Yes, lunch sounds great, and I'll eat whatever you get. Emily is here, and I'm not sure if she's staying for lunch, but go ahead and bring her some food too."

"Will do. How's it going?" he asked.

"Not well, hence my comment that you always know when to call. I'll catch you up on the details later, but her most recent comment to me was that she was thinking of adoption so she could get back to her life."

"Oh," Andy said, "well, that's not good, I mean, that she's being pretty selfish."

"Yes, my thoughts exactly. I gave her things to ponder. She's still on a walk, but the ducks are currently asleep in the stroller. I'm standing here at the garage," she explained.

"Tell them I love them when they wake up," he said to her, "I love their mom too," he admitted. "Let me finish here, and I'll get food on my way home. Sharon, you are doing a good job with her. I don't know what else to tell you; she's going to have to grow up."

"Hmm, we think alike too. Those were also my words of advice," she said.

"You're a great mom. Gotta go, but I'll see you soon. Love you," he said as Sharon repeated it to him before he hung up.

Sharon sat on the front porch with the stroller for another few minutes while the kids slept. Soon, Faith woke up, which caused Tom to wake up. Sharon didn't know how they did it, but almost always, when one twin woke the other woke at almost the exact same time. It was an interesting mystery to her. She got the kids out of their stroller and headed into the house with them. Emily still hadn't returned.

A half hour later, Sharon heard Emily come in through the garage. She and the kids were back in their room, where the ducks were playing on the floor. Sharon was sitting in the rocking chair folding laundry. Faith was playing with a truck while Tom had a police car. The two seemed to be "playing together" if that was possible for kids still under two. Emily never appeared, irritating Sharon. She was about done with the selfish attitude. Sharon walked out to the living room and found Emily sitting on the couch, looking at a magazine. Sharon was sure Emily wasn't actually reading it.

"Get up," she scolded her, and Emily jumped, looking to Sharon. "Get up and go back there," she pointed to the ducks' room. "Whether you like it or not, that is your sister and your brother back there. You've barely seen them in almost the two years they have been alive. You ruined their first birthday with your selfish surprise of your dirt bag. Get up and go back there. Spend some time with them. It's the least you can do. I'm tired of hearing that it's hard to be around them and everything else. Deal with it. Grow up. They are sweet babies, and they've done nothing wrong. You have. I did too, but I've dealt with it. You don't like what my life turned out to be-well, that's too bad. You still have two siblings whether you like it or not. So, go. Fold the laundry while you are back there; do something helpful and useful. We've been trying to help you for months. Play with them, get to know them, and don't come out until Andy gets home with lunch. You'll survive."

Emily's eyes grew wide at Sharon's outburst, and while she wanted to say something, she knew that look from Sharon. She stood and moved around her down the hall. Sharon sunk into Andy's recliner, disgusted with her oldest daughter.


	49. Chapter 49

**Well, Sharon unleashed the "Flynn Fury" in the last chapter, so it's time for Andy to turn into the "Unglued Stepfather" in this chapter. Enjoy!**

"Where is she?" Andy asked as he walked into the kitchen an hour later, armed with food. He looked around, noting it was quiet.

Sharon hummed, "Still with them," she nodded toward the twins' room, "that is, unless she made a break for it and got out through the window." Sharon walked over and embraced Andy, looking up at him. She leaned up and kissed him sweetly, "Hi, missed you this morning. Thank goodness you had an unintelligent dirt bag," she smiled, as she had her arms around his neck. He had his arms loosely threaded around her waist.

"Yeah," he grinned, "helps when I convince him to confess, you know, told him I had better things to do today. Wanted to spend time with my family. Wanted to play with my kids, see my wife," he smiled at her.

"So, you still good with this afternoon?" he asked, as he rubbed her arms. The two had spoken again on the phone after Sharon's "discussion" with Emily.

"I am," she nodded. "Let's eat. I know two little people will be glad you are home."

"I'll get them-and her," he nodded, as he walked down the hall.

Andy peaked his head in the door. Things weren't terrible. The kids were playing, and Emily was sitting on the rocking chair. He'd have preferred to see her actually playing with them, but at least she hadn't made a jailbreak. He also noted the laundry that Sharon had told him she'd ordered Emily to fold, had been folded, "Hey,-lunch, go," he hooked his finger over his head and turned his attention from Emily to the ducks.

"Dada!" they both screamed and ran to him, each one attached to his legs.

"Hey guys," he smiled, bending down to get on their level, as he embraced them and kissed their head while they climbed all over him. Emily still sat, just watching the scene.

"Dada, play Emmy!" Tom said proudly, looking like he was so accomplished for playing with Emily.

"Emmy, no trucks," Faith said pouting.

Andy took a stab at that one, "Emily doesn't like playing trucks?" he asked. Emily's eyes went huge, realizing that her one-year-old siblings had ratted her out.

"No trucks," Tom nodded, confirming that.

"Hmm," Andy said looking at the two sweet faces staring back at him, "How about we eat lunch? Mommy's getting your lunch. Eat and then play trucks?" he offered.

"Mama play trucks?" Tom asked Andy.

Andy nodded, smiling, "Yeah, we'll get Mommy to play trucks. Let's go ducks-lunch awaits," he stood ushering the kids out. He turned to see Emily still in the chair. "If you know what's good for you, you'll go eat-now," he said sternly.

"Why do you call them ducks all the time?" she asked him, the first comment she'd really made to him.

Andy took a deep breath and turned to her, "It's a long story, but it's stuck, the name. You mom and I have always loved watching football together. Well, we're on a permanent boycott of the NFL games," he sighed, and Emily's expression indicated she'd figured out why, "so, when the twins were infants, I had come over to help your mom with them and told her to find us a new team to watch. I didn't care who it was, but if we were ever going to watch football together-because at the time, we barely had a friendship, but that was maybe one of the first steps toward repairing it-at the time, I told her to pick any team. She flipped channels until she found the Oregon Ducks playing," he shrugged. "For some reason, it stuck. Week after week, we kept watching them on tv, until it finally felt normal again. It felt normal to watch football with your mom, different but normal. We spent that whole first football season watching college football, cheering on our new team, and most of those games, we did nothing magical. In fact, we spent almost every single game sitting on the couch in her condo feeding the twins because that's what babies do-eat and sleep. I guess that was the first real step in a positive direction again for us. We found our footing in football, so the name has stuck. We love our ducks, the Flynn Ducks, I mean. Oregon too," he grinned, "but really, those two little people."

Emily nodded, listening, "You said Flynn. You formally adopted them?" she asked. Sharon had appeared in the doorway at that point, wanting to see if they were coming to eat or not, but she hung back, letting Andy finish.

"I did-of course I did," he said, rather surprised. "They're my kids too. Legally, I wanted there to be no question. Why?" he asked.

Emily shrugged, "Just surprised you'd want to do that," she said.

Andy glared at her, with total surprise, as he said, "I love them. I love your mom. When I married your mom, I did so also knowing I was her husband and their dad. Emily, they are our world. We love all you kids, and nothing biological changes what I feel for those two."

"Okay," Emily shrugged, clearly still not getting it.

Sharon cleared her throat, "Lunch is ready," she nodded and caught Andy's eye. He nodded to Sharon and followed her down the hall. They sat down, just as Emily finally came into the kitchen to eat.

"Emmy!" Faith squealed. Despite everything, the ducks seemed to love Emily.

"Emmy, sit," Tom smacked at the table from his highchair. Sharon and Andy chuckled at Tom's insistence.

The meal passed in somewhat calm. Sharon and Andy were plenty busy getting the twins the food they needed, and Emily ate the soup and salad Andy brought home.

Once they were done, Sharon released the twins from their chairs, while Andy started to clean up. Emily watched the twins move about the living room, offering no help to anyone. Andy made a point to walk over to Sharon, just in front of Emily, "You ready to head out?" he asked.

Sharon nodded, "Yes, I am. Let me get my purse."

Emily looked up at them, "Where are you going? Are you taking me back to dad's place?"

Sharon walked back with her purse and met Andy's gaze, "No, we aren't. We," she indicated Andy and herself, "are going out for the afternoon. You," she pointed to Emily, "are staying here with them."

Emily's look of horror was evident, as she started to protest. Andy cut her off, "Don't even think about saying anything. Don't," he said sternly. "This was my idea. Your mom and I are going out to do anything but sit here and watch you sulk. You are going to take care of your brother and sister. No arguments. Ever hear of the 'Wicked Stepmother' stereotype? Well, mess this up, mess up things with MY kids, and it will be far worse than that. It will be the UNGLUED STEPFAHTER you'll tangle with, so don't screw up. I know you can handle it, but the question is will you? Put forth some effort. Play with your siblings. They are even old enough to rat you out, so get it together. Pick up the trucks they love and play with them, for goodness sakes! We don't need some excuse of you being tired or not feeling great because you're pregnant. Oh well, people are pregnant all the time and have far worse to handle than watching their siblings for a few hours. We're leaving. You're staying, and you're playing. And, because you have no clue since you haven't been around-no allergies, no food issues, just keep them happy, changed, and fed. They pretty much eat like ducks too-all day, all the time-crackers, cookies and such. Don't let Faith be a bully; she'll eat everything, and watch Tom because he can climb out of the crib. There? Sound enough like a dad to you?"

With that, Andy walked over and kissed the twins on their heads. Sharon had already done that as Andy was chewing out Emily. Sharon turned to Emily as she was about to walk out the door, "Do not mess this up, Emily," and she left, following Andy who was already at the car.


	50. Chapter 50

"Penny for your thoughts?" Andy asked as they drove back to the house.

"Hmmm, just wondering if we are making any progress with Emily. I don't know how she's gotten so far off track," Sharon admitted.

"Well, I have faith she will come around," Andy said as he raised Sharon's hand and kissed it.

"You have faith, huh?" she asked, offering him a small smile.

"I do, otherwise we wouldn't be here today, you and me. I know you have faith too, just need to keep that faith with her. You wouldn't have named our daughter Faith if you didn't have it," he said squeezing her hand.

Sharon hummed, smiling at the mention of their daughter, "Perhaps you are right."

"It will take time; all things worth anything do," he nodded.

Sharon bit her lip; she was on the verge of crying. Emily's mess was really starting to take its toll on her, "I don't want her to do something stupid," she clarified, "I mean, I don't want her to do any further damage. I'm afraid that this talk about giving up the baby will materialize, and that ultimately she will make the biggest mistake of her life."

"I know; I know," he sighed as he patted her hand.

They pulled into their driveway, and Sharon was immediately on high alert, "She called Jack?"

Andy sighed, noting Jack's car, "Let's go find the ducks."

The two got out of the car and heard noises coming from the backyard. They walked around the side of the house to find Jack pushing Faith in her swing on the swing set.

"Jack?" Sharon asked, looking at him in confusion.

"Mama! Dada!" Faith squealed, kicking to be let out of her swing. "Out, Jack." she whined. Andy glanced at Sharon and shook his head. Their daughter hanging out with Sharon's ex-husband-what a sight.

"Out! Mama! Dada!" Faith squealed again, kicking at her swing. She wanted her parents-now. Jack, who was standing right there with her, turned to let her out. Once released, she flew over to Andy, who was closer, "Dada!" she said happily.

Andy picked her up, "Hi there, Faithy."

"Jack," Sharon started, "not that I don't appreciate you swinging with our daughter out here, but what are you doing here?"

"Our daughter? Really, Sharon?" Jack rolled his eyes. "We don't need to pretend in front of me. Flynn's no more her dad than-"

"Watch it, Jack! You've been pretty decent the last couple months, but let's not ruin it now. Yeah, she's my kid. Tom's my kid. As we both know, parenting is a lot more than biology."

Jack raised one hand to settle Andy, "Okay. Whatever. She is a cute kid, Sharon. She reminds me of Ricky, but man, she looks like you."

"Hmm, Jack, why are you here? Where's Emily? Where's Tom?" she asked again.

"She's inside changing Tom. I just got here about 10 minutes ago to pick her up. I finished my client meetings and figured it was easier to swing by now. I hadn't heard much from her today, and quite frankly, I was amazed to find her here alone with the twins."

"How'd she seem to you?" Andy asked, kissing Faith's forehead, as she played with Andy's face in his arms. "We felt she needed to bond a little with the kids and realize what is involved with a baby."

Jack shrugged, "Indifferent, like she was completing a basic chore here watching the kids. She told me that the two of you had words with her, but I do have to admit, it was a good idea to make her stay here with the kids. I don't know if it did any good, but she's mentioned she doesn't even want to be around them. She told me she doesn't feel like they are her brother and sister, I mean half-brother and half-sister," he rolled his eyes.

"We did have words," Sharon acknowledged, choosing not to take Jack's bait on his comment about the kids. "We gave her a lot to think about. Jack, do you know she's thinking of giving the baby up; she doesn't want to keep him."

Jack's eyes widened, as he then shook his head, "No, I had no idea. What is she thinking? It's her kid, and I mean, she's an adult. She can raise him."

"Yeah, that was part of the discussion we had," Andy nodded, putting Faith down. Faith went to Sharon, and Sharon picked her up, kissing her cheek.

"Although, Jack, we all know that sometimes adults refuse to accept responsibility for their children," Sharon stated. "I'm hoping she will reconsider."

Jack nodded, "I'll address that with her. Perhaps I'm a good one to explain to her what she will lose by walking out on her kid."

"Perhaps," Sharon said, lips pursed. "Let's go inside and find her. Do you know how long she's staying?" Sharon asked Jack.

"No, she seemed to finish all the paperwork now that she needed to. The last thing would be the custody stuff when he's born, but give him up? Steve hear about that?" Jack asked.

"No idea. I doubt she's considered he might have a say. Hopefully, she was just saying that in anger and frustration," Sharon said as the group walked toward the house.

"She seems to think she can just wish this all away, that if she gives up the baby, this story will be over, erased, and she can start new. We all know that isn't that easy," Andy added.

The group reached the patio doors and walked in the house. Emily was sitting on the living room floor, while Tom was smacking a truck into another one. He looked over to see his family.

"Mama!" he squealed as he got up and ran to Sharon. He looked up to see Faith in her arm, "Faithy-me, me!" he shouted pulling on her leg, trying to get Faith to be put down so he could be picked up. Andy scooped him up.

"Hey Tom," he smiled, kissing his forehead. "You playing trucks?"

"Want Mama!" he fussed, giving Andy a pout. Faith clung harder to Sharon, "My mama!" Sharon reached over and kissed Tom too.

"Hi sweet boy," she smiled at him, shaking her head at Andy. Faith was a demanding one. She put Faith down, and Andy put Tom down. The two grabbed onto Sharon's legs, while Sharon tried to look to Emily. Emily was awkwardly getting up off the floor.

"Good. You're back," she said.

"You survived," Sharon acknowledged.

"They were fine. Handful, but fine," she said simply. "Dad, ready to go?" she asked.

"Not yet," Jack said dryly to her. "How long are you staying here? When do you have to get back to work?"

"I'm staying until tomorrow. I have a flight tomorrow because I have to be back at work, although, not much good I am looking like this," she scowled.

"Emily! You aren't hurt; you are pregnant," Sharon scolded her. "Emily, that sweet baby has done nothing wrong. I had hoped you would figure that out."

Emily ignored the comment and looked to Jack, "Dad?"

"No, we are getting a few things settled. So, you are going back tomorrow. Are you coming back when he's sentenced?" Jack asked.

"No, I don't need to see that. He signed the papers; we're getting divorced. That's what I needed. I can deal with him, the baby later," she offered.

"Emily, what plans have you made?" Sharon asked.

"None, okay? I just want to go home and think. I wish I still had my old apartment. His place doesn't feel like home, but I've got stuff to do there. I guess I need to get out of his house. I got cash in the divorce; he keeps that house. I'll figure it out. He won't be back in the house anytime soon," she said.

"Emily, we can help you if you let us," Andy offered. "We all love you."

"Dada! Yums!" Tom looked up at him happily, asking for a snack. Andy looked to Sharon, and she gave him a quick nod. He picked up both twins in his hands, and they moved to the kitchen.

"I need some time to think, okay?" she crossed her arms over her growing stomach. "Give me that."

"We will, but only if you start answering your phone when we call. Emily, you live 3,000 miles away and are our daughter. We are worried about you, rightly so!" Jack told her.

"Okay, I will," she waved him off. "Dad, can we go?"

Jack sighed as he looked to Sharon. She gave him a half nod and walked to Emily, embracing her, "I love you, no matter what," she said to her. "We've got a lot to fix, but I love you. I love this baby too," she put her hand on Emily's stomach, "no matter what-even with the father he has."

Emily turned quickly, trying not to show herself getting emotional. She called out to Andy, "Bye, Andy," and she stepped outside walking to Jack's car.

Jack turned back to Sharon and now Andy, who had reappeared, "She's a tough one to crack," he sighed. "I'll keep talking to her at my place. I'll stay in touch," he nodded.

"Thanks, Jack," both Sharon and Andy said at the same time.

Jack walked out, and Andy walked up behind Sharon, putting his arms around her, "Well?" he asked her.

Sharon sighed, "I hope that wasn't the last time we see our grandson," she said sadly.

He kissed the side of her head, "She's got a few months. We'll keep trying. Now, I know it won't change anything, but why don't you get the kids' Easter clothes and new baskets out of the car? I know you're dying to show Faithy her cute dress, and I believe that was a giddy smile you had when we found those duck Easter baskets," he kissed her head again. "Go," he patted her backside, pushing her toward the door.

"Thank you," she turned, and put her hands on the sides of his face to kiss him. "You are so good at knowing what I need. I love you, and no matter what, we are raising this family together, even when our other kids might make decisions we hate. Thank you," she kissed him again. "I'm so looking forward to our trip next week to see Ricky for Easter."

"Me too," he smiled at her. "Easter might not be the holiday you want with all the kids, but maybe we'll have all the kids here by the holidays later this year, Emily included. We can hope," he smiled.


	51. Chapter 51

**Thank you again for all the amazing reviews! Just preparing everyone now...we are nearing the end of this story. It's not over yet, but it's coming sooner than later...**

Sharon covered her mouth, as she sat in the car laughing. Andy glanced at her from the driver's seat, wondering what was so funny. She caught his glance.

"I'm sorry," she grinned, "I'm just looking over some of the pictures I took this past week.

Andy reached over and clasped her hand in his and smiled at her, "I've had a wonderful week, Sharon. This is the kind of memory I want for our family. Great vacation, great time seeing Ricky, and my favorite-a great time hanging out with you and those ducks back there," he smiled again, as he pulled her hand up to kiss it. He resumed his driving stance.

"I have had a great week too, the best in a long time. "The pictures on my phone are great. I can't wait to print some of them out," she grinned.

"Tell me about some of the good shots you took," he encouraged.

Sharon glanced to the backseat to make sure their talking wasn't causing the kids to wake up. Both kids were still fast asleep, Faith clutching a giant stuffed Easter bunny Ricky had bought her, and Tom, with his thumb in his mouth, clutching a stuffed dog with a policeman's hat on its head, also a present from Ricky.

"Seems we wore them out this week," she grinned. "I'm not surprised, but after all the candy Ricky gave them, I wasn't sure they would ever come off their sugar high," she chuckled.

Andy returned the chuckle, nodding, "Yeah, I told him that just because they make Ghirardelli chocolate in San Francisco, it doesn't mean he has to buy out the factory."

Sharon nodded in agreement, "He was really good with them. He put forth a lot of effort."

Andy nodded, "I think it's safe to say Ricky is totally in love with his brother and sister," as he squeezed Sharon's hand again.

Sharon's face grew a large smile, and she nodded, "Yes, he's really come around."

"So, tell me about these pictures," Andy nudged her as he encouraged her.

"Well," Sharon started to say, as she shifted in the car to get comfortable, "let's see..there's maybe my favorite of the three of you. You three are all dressed up for Mass. You and Tom look adorable in your light-yellow shirts and matching ties. I still can't believe you found a tie for him at the store to match yours," she shook her head. "And, Faithy's dress is so, so sweet, Andy. That little light yellow dress that has a row of ducks in a ribbon around the bottom! Andy, I'm saving that dress. That has to be one of the sweetest things I've ever seen," she gushed. "Again, I can't believe you found her that dress!"

"Ahh, Sharon in Mama Bear mode," he winked and whispered, "I love it."

"I'm just glad we were able to get all the chocolate out of that dress. I almost had a heart att-" she stopped herself when Andy threw a glance her way. "I almost had a heart episode when she ate that chocolate duck and got it all over her dress. Sorry for the heart comment," she mumbled.

"Yes, we agreed no mention of any heart terminology," he winked. "Nothing will happen to me, Sharon. I've got you and those ducks to keep me going for decades longer. Can't have you raising them by yourself."

She nodded, quietly. While their young family was the center of their lives, every now and then, they couldn't forget that Andy had several medical scares just a couple short years ago, mostly related to that dust up with the car.

"Yes, well, I'm glad that the chocolate came out of the dress because I'm saving it for Faith. It's so special. Let's see," she scrolled through her pictures, "oh, here's a lovely one I got of you and Ricky together. Andy, that's a very nice picture, and oh, one of my boys-most of them. I just wish Rusty could have made the trip, but this one of you, Ricky, and Tom is wonderful."

Andy glanced over, "I like that one," he pointed to a picture on her phone, "my two favorite Flynn ladies," he grinned, "and I can say that because Nicole's married with a different last name."

Sharon rolled her eyes, chuckling, "Yes, that is a lovely picture of Faith and me. I never notice it when everyone says she looks like me, but in this picture, I see it."

Andy's mouth dropped open, "You never notice it? Sharon, she's a dead ringer for you, and in more ways than one," he smirked.

Sharon eyed him, and then she rolled her eyes. Andy chuckled, and Sharon spoke, "You wouldn't be referring to her stubbornness or temper, would you?"

"I'll claim the temper," he grinned, "but that means you have to claim the stubbornness."

"I'll plead the fifth on that," she said happily, as she looked through more pictures.

"I'm glad Ricky suggested taking the kids to the Golden Gate Bridge and all the other touristy stuff. He's right; we've all seen it, but the kids haven't. I know they won't remember it now, but we'll have the pictures, and maybe we'll make that a tradition when they visit their brother-see the sights of San Francisco."

Andy grunted, "As long as we are seeing the sights and not visiting them someday oh, at like Alcatraz or San Quentin."

Sharon burst out laughing and then covered her mouth to silence it from the sleeping ducks, "Oh, Andy, that won't happen. Alcatraz isn't even open," she winked.

"My kids need to remain on this side of the law, not open for discussion," he winked.

"Deal-and one I can completely agree with," Sharon nodded.

"I also have sweet pictures of the kids at the wharf. I'm so glad we took a little vacation, Andy. It was wonderful to see Ricky, and I feel so refreshed.

"Good, that's what I want for any trips we take. Well, looking back on this one, we can safely say that Tom doesn't like Chinese food," he chuckled. "Guy was not into anything we gave him. Hopefully, that will change because I know we both love Chinese food."

Sharon sighed, "Yes, that was a great idea Ricky had to eat all that wonderful Chinese food, and I even have a couple of pictures of the faces Tom is making while he tried eating it all. Poor baby," she gave a sad frown.

"Faith, on the other hand, seemed to eat her weight in strawberries on this trip," he chuckled. "Mental note to buy more of those at the store."

Sharon chuckled too, "Yes, those were always Emily's favorite too. I wonder if she had a nice Easter at all," she sighed.

Andy gripped her hand, "Well, you tried calling her. You know she got back to New York okay, and Jack said he'd at least spoken to her since she had gotten settled in back at home. Sharon, I keep saying it, and I'll say it again-she's got to decide she wants a relationship with our family. We can't force it, and she's still got a lot of growing up to do."

Sharon picked at the lint on her pants, looking down, "I know. I hate she's alone right now. Pregnant and alone; I get that, and I know that feeling," she gave Andy as small smile. "I wish she'd let me in, but you are right; it has to be her decision."

"Let's not let the decisions she has to make ruin our little family, right here, right now, okay?" he clasped her hand, kissing it. She nodded to him.

"I know," she replied. "I just keep praying."

The weeks passed, and the ducks grew. Week turned into week, and soon, it was summer. Major Crimes was busy, as were the ducks at home. They were almost two now, their birthday coming up in August. This year, they were planning to throw the ducks a dog party because the two had started watching a couple of kids' cartoons with dogs in them. Both now walked around the house either howling or barking, something that was driving Sharon and Andy crazy, but at the same time, both thought it was adorable. Sharon had admitted to Andy that she was worried Emily's baby would possibly ruin the duck's birthday party, not that it would be the baby's fault, but Emily had already ruined their first birthday. Emily had told Sharon she was due August 15, just 10 days before the ducks' birthday. How ironic-same biological father with almost the same birthday. Sharon knew sometimes babies had a mind of their own and came late, and she just had this sinking feeling her grandson might do just that. Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything but wait.

The situation with Emily wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible. Sharon had managed to get Emily to text her about once a week, but that was it. Steve had his sentencing, and he'd been sent to jail for a year, completely within the normal scope of punishment for his crime. That left Emily with some breathing room, at least regarding Steve. She still refused to discuss the baby's outcome with Sharon, Andy, or Jack. Sharon and Andy found themselves talking with Jack on a somewhat regular basis, and lately, they'd had him over for dinner a couple times a month to talk things through about Emily. Surprisingly, in all this mess, their relationship with Jack was better than any imagined; he'd grown up quite a bit, and he was proving to finally be the decent father Sharon envisioned him to be decades ago. She hated he had ruined all their lives for years and years, but she was grateful and counting her blessings, that he was finally here now. Emily needed him, and Sharon, while annoyed that Emily was keeping her at a distance, was glad Emily was talking a bit more with Jack. Luckily, they were on such good terms with Jack, he was calling to update them anytime he spoke to Emily, so while things could be much better, they could also be much worse.

Sharon hated that she wasn't being let into Emily's life now, at a time when she knew Emily needed her. Sharon also hated that Emily really wasn't able to enjoy this pregnancy, her baby, and this stage in her life. Sharon wondered if Emily would regret it one day, but she also remembered that feeling when she was pregnant with the ducks. That had been a very low point in Sharon's life, and while she couldn't be happier now, looking back, she was sad that she had not enjoyed anything about her pregnancy because the two sweet ducks she had now were truly wonderful. She just hoped Emily would wake up and realize that for herself.

Sharon and Andy had been really busy at work, taking a tough case that lasted through the 4th of July. Anytime Sharon had to get involved heavily in one of Major Crimes cases, you knew it was bad, and this case had been a really rough one. It was finally over, and the ducks were enjoying having both parents home again on a regular basis. Andy groaned loudly when Sharon's phone rang though in the middle of the night. That was never a good thing for the Assistant Chief of Police.

"Jack?" Sharon asked sitting up and turning on the light. The movement caused Andy to sit up as well. As much as he hated to hear Sharon talking to her ex-husband, in the middle of the night, from their bedroom, he knew it couldn't be good.

"Jack, what did she say?" Sharon asked. Andy looked at her, and she had a look of concern. She fumbled for her glasses, dropping them, and Andy quickly climbed over her to find them for her so she could concentrate on the phone. "Hold on. Let me get a pen," she said, and Andy moved quickly to get a pen and paper. "Okay, Jack. Andy just gave me a pen. Go on." Sharon started to write, and Andy leaned over her shoulder to see what she'd written. He frowned at the note, waiting for her to finish.

"Yes, I can go now. That would be fine if you can come in a few days. Yes, I'm sure Andy can handle things here with the kids. Okay, I'll call you when I know more. Thanks, Jack," Sharon said and hung up. Andy had sat down on the side of the bed, next to Sharon. She looked over to him. "Emily was just admitted to the hospital. I guess she passed out at work. Her blood pressure is sky high, and they think she's developing preeclampsia. Jack didn't have other details yet, just Emily saying she was in the hospital and besides a headache and being tired, she was okay."

Andy nodded, "Go. I'll be fine here with the kids," he ushered her up. "She won't call you, but we both know she needs you."

Sharon nodded, "Jack said he would go, but he's in the middle of a case. He thinks he has three more days of testimony and then the deliberation. He said he could be there in a few days, so if I go now, he can relieve me, and we'll just see where things are then," she offered.

"Of course," he nodded and stood, "ahh, tell you what-you get a shower and start to pack. I'll get online and book you a flight. It's what, 3:00 now? I'm sure we can get you on one first thing this morning, and the kids and I can drop you off on the way to work. Luckily, Chief, you just worked a ton of overtime," he winked.

Sharon stood, "Thank you," she sighed into him, as she embraced him for a hug and a kiss. "You're amazing, Andy. Thank you. You're sure things will be okay here with the kids?"

Andy waved her off, "Of course. The ducks and I will be just fine," he nodded. "Go, your other daughter needs you now."


	52. Chapter 52

"You came?" Sharon heard as she was sitting in a chair reading her book. It was late, now well into the evening. Sharon had spent most of her day traveling, and she was exhausted from the long day. After the 3:00 AM wakeup call, Andy had gotten to work booking her flight. He'd found the best thing available, with a connection through Chicago. With the time difference and all, Sharon had finally gotten in at 5:00 PM and come straight to the hospital, picking up some soup and a sandwich at the deli down at the corner from the main hospital entrance. She'd been sitting in Emily's room since about 8:00 PM after she got there and found her room. Her suitcase even sat beside her, proof she'd come straight there.

Sharon was startled by the voice, but put her bookmark in her book and looked over at the voice, "Of course I came," she gave her a small smile. "My baby is sick; I came," she reached over and patted Emily's shoulder.

Emily sighed, "I told Dad this wasn't a big deal, not to make it a big deal. I can't believe he told you."

Sharon rolled her eyes, "Well, despite him hiding everything possible from me during the 20 plus years we were married, we've done a very good job of communicating lately about you. And, yes, this is a big deal. My daughter, what 35 weeks pregnant, in the hospital with elevated blood pressure is a big deal, especially when you are alone 3,000 miles away from all of the people who love you."

Emily sighed, as she lay there. She absentmindedly rubbed her side, and the two remained quiet.

"It took me a few minutes to find you here. I didn't know what last name to use. You never told me you changed it back to Raydor with your divorce.

"Yeah, well, I'm erasing that chapter of my life," Emily said and sighed. The two continued in silence.

"Where are the twins?" Emily asked a few moments later.

"Home with Andy," Sharon replied. "Why?"

"Just wondered where they were. I'm surprised you left them home with Andy."

Sharon got a very surprised look on her face, "Why would you be surprised at that?" Sharon was still having trouble figuring out what was going on in Emily's mind.

Emily shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I guess I didn't think you'd leave them home with just Andy."

Sharon's eyes drew closer, as she was almost getting irritated, "Emily, he is their father. Of course, I'm fine leaving them home with him. He does an amazing job with them, and I have no concern whatsoever. I'll miss them, just like I miss you when I don't see you, but he will do just fine. He'll get them to daycare everyday while he goes to work and take care of everything at home. Yes, it's more work on one person, but I have no doubt he will be just fine."

"But, he's not biologically their dad," she said.

Sharon blew up, "Emily! The last thing I want to do is sit here and argue with you, especially when you have high blood pressure. I know something about that deal with Andy's all the time. I don't understand this obsession you have about biology. It does not make a parent, period. Andy's always been their dad, even when we both had messed things up so badly. He never gave up on me, them, even when he wanted to; he always managed to be there. Emily, they are his kids, end of discussion. He adopted them; we all have the same last name. He's their dad. He knows everything there is to know about those two. They adore him, and he adores them. Biology is not an issue, and for some reason, you can't understand that. I'm sorry you're stuck on that, but please, please try to get over it."

"Fine," Emily huffed, and the two went back to silence.

"You still look flushed," Sharon said, looking at Emily. "Can I get you anything? Water? Some soup? I brought soup."

Emily looked away, "I'm fine, Mom, just still pregnant," she sighed.

The nurse came by awhile ago, and she said your vitals were holding. What has the doctor said?" Sharon asked.

Emily turned to answer her, "He said they don't like where my blood pressure is, and that I'm most likely not getting out of here without having a baby. When that will be, I don't know. It could be in a few hours; it could be in a few days. The baby is doing okay, but if he starts to get distressed, they are going to deliver him, which might mean I have to have a C-section, which will stink. I don't want to be cut, have a scar. Still, whenever they deliver him, it's a bit early, but not too bad. I'm 35 weeks, 5 days, so they aren't too concerned. He may be a bit small, but even by the time they deliver, they think his lungs will be okay. The doctor is going to check on me in the morning as long as things don't go haywire tonight. I was at work; I haven't actually been dancing for a couple months, but they've had deskwork for me to do. I passed out. The doctor has been monitoring my blood pressure the past few weeks, and it keeps climbing. So," she trailed off.

Sharon took it all in, nodding, "You didn't think letting us know about your blood pressure was a good idea? Emily, I've tried to contact you, stay in contact with you every week. I have asked every week-'How's the baby? What is the doctor saying?' and I barely get a response. Don't you think that would have been a good time to clue me in? My goodness, Emily! You dad called me at 3:00 this morning to tell me you were here. I've been going nonstop since. Andy paid $1400 for a plane ticket at the last minute, which I'm happy to pay, but maybe if you had thought about anyone but yourself before this, we could have made some arrangements. I could have booked some time off and not had to take emergency leave. Andy and I could have figured out things for the kids to make it easier on them. You dad could have worked around his case schedule, but instead, you refuse to let us in."

"I'll pay you back for the plane ticket," Emily said, ignoring everything else.

Sharon rolled her eyes and said sternly, "Emily, this has nothing to do with the money. This is letting those who love you help when you need it. I don't want to argue with you. The last thing you need is more stress with that blood pressure."

Emily just nodded and closed her eyes, letting out her breath. Sharon sat in the chair, looking at Emily, shaking her head at this mess.

"Nathan," Emily said, still with eyes closed. Sharon looked up.

"I'm sorry?" Sharon asked very confused. She thought Emily was awake, but maybe she was dreaming.

"His name is Nathan," she said again.

Sharon got a small smile on her lips, one she didn't want to show, "So, you are keeping him, Nathan?"

Emily shook her head, "I haven't decided yet. He still needed a name."

Sharon nodded, "I see. Well, if you are still this conflicted, Emily, it doesn't sound like you are ready to give him up."

"I just don't want to-I mean, I can't believe this happened to me, and I don't want to mess up my life anymore," she said sadly.

"Emily," Sharon reached over, touching her hand, "this didn't happen to you. You created this baby with a man you loved, a man, who if hadn't been caught, you'd still be convincing yourself you loved. But, you caught him, as did the law. Wishing away a baby you thought you wanted at the time and now, you're convincing yourself you don't; Emily that's not being a grown up. I get it that the circumstances have changed, but Nathan deserves his mom. You can be that; you already are that. Granted, adoption is a very good option for people, especially in different situations, but honey, you can love him; you can do this. You have a job, a family, and you are an adult. I'm very concerned that you will do something rash and then want him back when it's too late," Sharon added, now holding Emily's hand.

Emily nodded, not saying much. She was finally just in listening mode. Finally, she said, "Mom, I'm really tired."

Sharon nodded and squeezed her hand, "Get some rest, honey. I'm going to sit here awhile, and then I'll be back in the morning. Andy booked me a hotel room just down the street."

Emily, whose eyes were closed said, "You could stay at my place-well, sort of my place. My keys are in my purse over there."

"Your dad said you were still living at Steve's place for now until you figured out things since he isn't around anyway right now. I didn't want to stay there, but I will go by and get some of your things," Sharon explained.

"Okay, Mom," Emily said and was soon fast asleep.


	53. Chapter 53

"What time is it?" Sharon heard a croak from the bed. She put down her book and looked over to Emily, offering her a small smile.

"10:00 AM. You've been sleeping for awhile," she offered.

Emily groaned as she shifted in the bed, "I hate this. I feel awful."

"How are you feeling? Can you tell me? Baby moving around?" Sharon asked, very curious. She'd stayed with Emily for a couple of hours the night before, waiting to see if Emily woke up. She didn't, and Sharon made her way to the hotel very late. She'd gotten a shower and a few hours of sleep, returning at 7:00 in the morning, hoping Emily might be awake. The nurse had said Emily had awakened for an hour or so around 5:00, but she'd been sleeping peacefully since.

Emily sighed, "Headache, feel like I got hit by a truck. Big as a house. Yeah, he's there, alright. He seems to be trying to kick through to my throat, at least it feels like he's kicking that high," she sighed, putting her hand on the side of her stomach.

Sharon nodded, "May I feel him?" she asked, this being the first time since she'd arrive she would even try to feel her grandson.

"Be my guest," Emily waved.

Sharon's grin turned into a huge smile, as she felt her first grandson kicking away at Emily. Her eyes met Emily's and she tried smiling at her, "Maybe he'll be good at ballet like his mom?" she shrugged.

"He's got to weigh 10 pounds in there by now," Emily sighed. "I'm huge, and I just want this to be over," she moaned, totally feeling sorry for herself. Sharon sat down on the side of the bed, to really sit and talk with Emily.

"I'm sorry you are sick and in the hospital now. I know that isn't in the cards, and I know how frustrated you must be. The doctor said your extra weight is partly due to the issues with the baby," she explained to Emily.

"How is it, Mom, that you can have four kids-four, the last two being twins you carried at the same time, and you didn't have anything like this? You didn't end up in the hospital, on bedrest, elevated blood pressure. You were even way too old to have a baby, no offense, let alone two. Where everything should have been a problem, it was a breeze, and here I am, young, healthy, and this baby is giving me nothing but problems? I'm a prisoner to my own body!"

Sharon patted Emily's arm, "Get it out. You can have your pity party, but then realize you are a mom. Moms do anything for their kids, starting with their own sacrifice of their body. Yes, it was a blessing all four of my babies were healthy with no problems. Yes, when all medical signs should have caused me problems with the twins, they didn't, and they are healthy when all was stacked against us. Yes, my pregnancies were different, but much easier. Honey, everyone is different. Every pregnancy is different. You are having a rough time, but many, many have even worse times. The doctors are monitoring things, and they will make sure both you and Nathan are healthy. If that means delivering him today, they will. If it means he hangs out with you a few more days or weeks, he will. This will end, and at the end you will have a beautiful baby boy, all yours," she said sweetly to Emily.

The tears built in Emily's eyes; she was extremely emotional with everything that had been going on, "Mom, I still don't love him. I just see this as a problem, a problem I want gone. I keep blaming him for this, and rationally, I know it's not his fault," she started to cry. "I'm mad at this situation. I'm mad when I think that I'm your daughter and since you had four babies with no problem, I should be able to get this one out, and I can't. I'm mad about so much. I just want this over, and I don't see how I can keep him. The doctor even said this type of thing can get worse with future pregnancies, so he might have ruined my chances when I ever find the right guy," she sighed.

"Emily," Sharon said sternly, "your situation isn't normal, but many of your feelings are. You are scared and nervous. You don't think you love him, but you do and you will. You'll see. You are worried about a lot right now, much of which is out of your hands. It's a lot to handle, and just breathe right now. Relax and think of your beautiful baby boy. Imagine what he'll look like because he'll be her soon."

"I got so mad with the doctor explaining things to me, saying that next time I have a baby, they would have to monitor me because this could be worse. Next time," she sighed. "Yeah, right. You have four and no issues; I'm told the 'next time' like there would be one could ruin me."

"Emily, every pregnancy is different. When you have more children, you could be totally fine. Some of it depends on the baby, your body's reaction to the baby, and even the father. His genes can affect stuff too," she added.

"Yeah," Emily huffed, "well, at least that wouldn't be the same, not the same father. But Mom, explain that then-we are similar; you are my mom, and as much as you don't want to talk about this-same father for our kids, so why was it a walk in the park for you with twins at 50, and I'm stuck here in bed in my 20's?"

"Emily, there is no answer, but to say that Nathan needs to arrive healthy and safely. The doctors are monitoring that," she sighed.

Her Facetime request alerted her to an incoming call. She turned to her stuff, to dig it out, smiling as she stood to answer her call.

"Hey Beautiful," Andy's voice echoed in the hospital room. Sharon's smile grew even more when she heard Andy's voice, something she was sure Emily noted. "I wanted to say good-morning to you, and I have two people here who refused to go to daycare until they can do the same."

Sharon grinned and laughed, as she sat down in the chair, still next to Emily, where Emily could see the screen too.

"Mama!" the sound of the ducks filled the hospital room, and Sharon's face grew even brighter.

"Hello my sweet ones," she said happily.

"Mama hi," Tom said to her.

"Tom, you can wave to Mom," they heard Andy say in the background.

He waved, and Faith, who was on Andy's other knee, pushed Tom, "Me talk, Tom," as she shoved him. Sharon covered her mouth not to laugh.

"Faithy, we share," Sharon explained to her. "I can talk to both of you and Daddy, all at the same time," she explained.

"Mama, me," Faith said, very grumpy.

"Hi Tom, Hi Faithy, Hi Daddy," Sharon repeated to emphasize that she could talk to everyone all at once.

"Faithy, be nice. Tell Mom hi," Andy instructed her.

"My mama," Faith said. "Mama, Faith," she said, emphasizing that she wanted just Sharon and Faith on the screen.

"Tom, are you and Faith ready to go?" she asked him, the sweet boy, grinning happily, and he nodded to Sharon.

"We go, Mama!" he said. "Dada car!"

"Yes! You are going to school in Daddy's car. I love you, and I miss you," Sharon said to the three.

"Faithy and Mama," she said again.

"I love you, Faith. Can you be a good girl for Daddy?" Sharon asked.

Faith nodded, even though she was pouting.

"I have a surprise for you; look who I am with," Sharon smiled, turning the camera toward Emily, where she had been laying in the bed, just listening and watching the interaction of the four of them.

"Faithy, Tom, do you remember who that is? I told you Mom went to see her. Remember?" Andy prodded the kids.

"Emmy!" Tom said happily. He waved to her, like Sharon had told him he could do with her.

"Hey guys," Emily said, and she didn't say anything more.

"Hi Em, sorry to hear about everything. I'm glad your mom is there, and hopefully soon, all this will be over. Sharon told me you are naming the baby, Nathan?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's the plan," she shrugged.

"Well, Sharon, I need to get the ducks to daycare. They've been asking about you all morning, and I told them we'd call before work. I will have them call you again later," he explained.

"Sounds great, honey. I love you. Have a good day," Sharon told Andy.

"I love you too, Sweetheart. We're doing just fine here. You saw-they are fed, and they even have the right clothes on. Tom's not wearing pink, and Faithy isn't wearing Tom's light up bulldozer shoes."

Sharon chuckled and smiled at him. She and Andy had spoken at length the night before, even though she was exhausted from the day. She realized how much she missed him, just being able to talk to him about anything and everything. As tired as she was the night before, it had been so nice to just talk to Andy, which was now part of the reference he was using now with the kids being okay. Sharon had told him and she and Emily had gotten into it about a lot of different things, one being Andy's ability, even though he wasn't the natural father, to take care of the ducks.

"Glad to hear one of the very best detectives in Los Angeles can properly clothe his children," Sharon said jokingly. "Bye honey. Love you," and the call ended.

"Sounds like they miss you," Emily said, shifting again.

"I'm sure they do, but they will be fine. Andy's got this," she finished. "Now, I'm planning to get some of your stuff this morning, so tell me what I need to get."

A few hours later, Sharon returned to the hospital. She'd left when Emily fell asleep again, going out to get some of Emily's things and also to get herself some lunch. When she returned, she found the doctor in Emily's room, checking on her.

"Doc, this is my mom, Sharon Flynn. She flew in from Los Angeles last night," Emily explained.

"Hi doctor, nice to meet you," Sharon extended her hand. "What can you tell us?"

"Hi, nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Flynn. So, I was telling Emily about what is going on with the baby in there. He's not doing as well as we would like. He's still okay, but I'm going to recommend we deliver him sooner than later. Now, I'm guessing it's been awhile since you went through this," he was interrupted.

"Oh no, doc," Emily cut him off, "My mom had twins two years ago," she rolled her eyes.

"Ahh," he nodded and continued, "well, then, anyway, you understand that with technology today, we monitor a lot of things. He's still stable, but that can change very quickly. She will be 36 weeks tomorrow, and every day to this point has been a blessing. He gets stronger each day, that is until a point, which is where we are getting now. He's not benefiting from being in the womb anymore. In fact, it's starting to cause stress on both mom and baby. So, we are going to keep her here, and tomorrow morning, very early, we are going to go ahead and start the labor induction process. I'm hoping that we can get things going, and Emily can deliver the baby without a C-section, but that will all depend on how things progress. We'll monitor things closely, and if needed, that would be the last resort."

"I really don't want a C-section. I hate that I'd have that scar," Emily told him.

He nodded, but Sharon added, "Emily, I get that, but this is for the health of you and Nathan. Let the doctor do his job, whatever that is tomorrow. We will trust what he says needs to be done."

"Why should I get a say? It's just my body and baby," Emily mumbled, as the doctor turned to Sharon.

"The baby should be okay, health wise. It's early, but it's not crazy. We'll check his lungs at birth, but he might be fine and not need the NICU. Now, you are welcome to be in there with your daughter if you both wish. I know, Emily, that you have mentioned going through a divorce recently, so I'm guessing the father won't be here. If we need to do any sort of custody or court order on the baby like for the NICU or something, you will need to let us know," he told her.

Emily waved it off, "No, it's fine. My ex-husband won't be here, and it won't be a problem. My mom is the only one here."

"Her father, my ex-husband, should be coming in the day after tomorrow, Sharon offered. "We all get along just fine, but he will be here too, eventually, just so you know."

"Okay, well, then, I will check back later, but as long as things continue, we'll work on having that baby in the morning," he nodded and turned to leave.

Sharon turned to look at Emily, who looked terrified. She went and sat on the bed, looking at her.

"Mom, I don't know what to do," she said teary eyed. "I thought I'd have more time."

Sharon sighed, "Emily, you do know what to do. You have plenty of time-the next 18 years alone with him at home. You're going to have this baby, take him home-wherever that is-and love him. Deep down, I think you know that," she said as she squeezed her hand.

Sharon let Emily sit in silence a few moments before she stood and picked up her phone, announcing to Emily, "I'm going to text Andy and Jack to tell them the plan. Jack already bought a ticket to come here the day after tomorrow. He expected to finish his trial today, last I spoke to him, a bit ahead of schedule, but then he's planning to fly here."

Sharon's phone rang a few moments later, even as she was still holding it from texting. Emily finally glanced to her as she answered it, "Jack," she started, and Emily listened as she recounted the events with Jack over the phone. Sharon finished by telling Jack where she was staying so he could book a room there too, with the promise he'd be there the day after tomorrow. Sharon finished her call and slumped back in her chair; it had been a long day already.

Emily broke the silence a few moments later, "What if I keep him? I don't have anywhere to live. I didn't buy a single thing for him yet. I can't keep him. I'm not ready," she sighed. Sharon picked herself up out of her chair and made her way back to Emily's bed.

"Let's talk," Sharon suggested, sitting down with her oldest child.


	54. Chapter 54

**Sorry this is short, but I needed this transitional chapter...**

Emily sat, looking over at Sharon who had dozed off. The two had talked briefly before the nurse had come into the room to take vitals and such. Both Emily and Baby Nathan were holding steady, at least for now. Since then, Emily had taken a nap, and now, she was awake, but Sharon was napping. Emily shifted in the bed, letting out a hiss of pain, and that woke Sharon.

"You okay?" Sharon asked, jumping up.

Emily nodded, "Yeah, gosh this hurts," she groaned.

"Well, and you aren't even having contractions yet," Sharon pursed her lips, sitting down, "Can we talk more now?" she asked. Emily shrugged, and Sharon took that as a sign to continue, "Emily, I was concerned today when I picked up your things and noticed you haven't done a single thing to get ready for Nathan. Now, we are at decision time, so what are you doing with him?"

Emily let out her breath and looked away. She looked back to Sharon, "I don't know. I guess I want to see him first." Sharon had a lot more she wanted to say, but she didn't at the moment. She couldn't talk Emily into this; it had to be her decision, but she knew from that comment and many others Emily had made, not to mention that she'd named the baby, what the outcome would be.

"Ahh, that's Andy calling," Sharon said as she heard her phone ring. "I'll step into the hall for a moment."

Sharon moved into the hall, "Hi," she smiled into the phone.

"Hey Beautiful," he said, "How's our girl?"

"Ahh, hanging in there," she sighed.

"She realize yet that she'll be leaving that hospital with her son?" he asked.

"Getting there," Sharon sighed again. "We've made progress, albeit a little. Now, she wants to see him before she decides, she says."

"Ahh," Andy replied. "I'm on my lunch break now. What can I do?" he asked.

Sharon thought, "Well, there is one thing you can do. You did such a good job with this before, so I'm trusting that you can do a repeat performance now."

"What's that? Anything for you, Gorgeous," he flirted with her.

"Can you order a car seat and all the gear like you bought for Tom and Faith?" she asked.

"Sure," he replied. "You want me to do that store pickup option for you?"

"Yes," Sharon nodded, "If you order it, I'll pick it up. You were right when you did that search last night; there's a baby store a few blocks away. I saw it when I went out to get some things for her. She's going to need basics just to get started; that reality hasn't hit her yet, and she has absolutely nothing."

"Will do. Just text me the few things you want, and I'll buy them for the little guy. Grandma and Grandpa to the rescue, right?" he chuckled.

"Yes, that seems to be the case," she sighed.

"You tell her yet that you brought Tom's baby clothes with you?" he asked.

"Not yet," Sharon replied to him. "Like you said, she hasn't hit the reality yet that she is leaving here with a bouncing baby boy, but when it hits her, it will definitely be a shock to the system."


	55. Chapter 55

A light shake to Sharon's shoulder woke her, and she jolted awake to find Jack standing before her.

"Jack," she said, giving him a slight smile.

"Congrats, Grandma," he smiled.

Sharon's smile grew wider than it had been, "Well, congrats to you too, Grandpa."

"How long has she been sleeping?" he asked, nodding over to Emily.

"She hasn't awakened yet, well, I mean, she's out of recovery, obviously, so doing okay, but she's pretty exhausted from the last day and a half," Sharon explained.

Jack stepped back to give Sharon some space and looked over her shoulder, "He's a cute thing," he smiled.

Sharon looked over and put her hand on the isolet, "Yes," she nodded, "he is. He's been quiet, laid back. The nurses offered to take him to the nursery, but I didn't want to send him off; I wanted him close by when she wakes up. He's not even a day old; I wasn't going to send him off."

He nodded, "Well, after a rocky road the last couple days, he looks good. Everything checks out, you said in your last text? Sorry I didn't get it; I was in the air." Jack looked around, pulling up a chair to sit, so that he and Sharon could talk. Both Nathan and Emily were asleep.

"Yes, they are both okay. She had a pretty bad time of it. They let her labor for about 15 hours, and Nathan's stats really started to drop, so they made the decision to take him then. He'd been doing great up to that point, and they thought she might be okay with the delivery, but her blood pressure spiked again, and Nathan's condition wasn't great. Oh, Emily was mad about the C-section, probably still is. She was convinced she didn't want a scar," she sighed, shaking her head. "I get that, and I know she'll get over it, but honestly, you'd think after everything, she'd just want to have a healthy delivery, whatever that entails."

Jack nodded again, giving a small smile at the baby as he moved slightly and made a face, "That looks like a face I've seen Emily make," he chuckled.

Sharon looked over and grinned too, "Yes, I agree."

Jack looked puzzled as he looked at the baby, "I'm trying to figure out his features. He looks like something about her, Ricky? I can't put my finger on it, but familiar. I guess I'll figure it out as he starts to develop and grow."

Sharon gave a sad smile as she glanced to him again, sighing, "He looks identical to Tom," she shrugged. "I already looked back at his newborn pictures. When I sent his picture to Andy, he actually thought I was joking and sending him one from Tom."

"Ahhh," Jack said, in the awkward silence. "Well, I guess that will always be there."

Sharon nodded as she looked at Nathan again, "It will," she sighed. "It will."

"So, your text said she wouldn't let you come in during the C-section?" he asked.

Sharon rolled her eyes, "Yes, she and I have made progress, but she's still not there yet. Hopefully, when she wakes, she will have some clarity."

"Any idea on how much longer she will sleep?" he asked.

Sharon shook her head, "The doctor said she's had a rough few days, and she could be out for awhile. The nurses told me if we wanted a break with Nathan while she's out, to let them know, and they will take him up to the nursery. I couldn't bear to leave him," she said, rubbing his fingers. "I wanted him to know someone was here who loves him very much."

Jack smiled, "Always good with babies, Sharon. Oh, speaking of not leaving, I figured you hadn't had anything to eat, so here," he stood and moved back toward the door where she noted his suitcase was along with a few bags. "I picked up some food and tea for you," he handed to her. "I still remembered your favorite tea, at least I hope it's your favorite tea."

Sharon nodded, "Thank you, Jack. I must say that with all this mess, I'm glad we are getting along okay. That means a great deal to me, and it will be good for Emily and Nathan in the long run too, Ricky too, but right now, thankfully, he's not in any mess like this."

"So, even though he's early, the doc doesn't think he will need to stay in the hospital longer?" Jack asked, looking back to the baby. He'd gotten food for himself too and had sat back down to eat it. Sharon was sipping on the tea and opened the bag of food to find a salad and container of soup. Jack had a sandwich.

"He looks good," she started. "His lungs are developed; they've checked him a couple of times already, and he's breathing fine. All his initial tests look good, so it looks like Emily really dodged a bullet. He is perfect," she grinned. "Born 3:15 AM, 6 lbs. even," she added.

"Well, he would have been a big boy had he come on time," Jack chuckled. "Looks like he has just a fluff of dark hair?"

Sharon smiled, "He does," she ever so lightly, moved his little hat to show Jack. "I don't know his middle name, or I guess even officially his last name," she frowned. "Emily went back to Raydor with the divorce, but I don't know what she's doing with Nathan."

Jack nodded, "Well, I'd say she doesn't have much of a clue, either, names or anything else. So, she wouldn't talk to you about her plans?" he asked.

"No," Sharon sighed, "It hasn't hit her yet she is now a mother. Jack, she didn't get a single thing for him."

"Oh! Well, I can go do that, I mean, or you can, Sharon," he offered.

Sharon waved him off, "I had Andy order several things that will need to be picked up down the street. Maybe you can do that here in a little while and take them to the hotel? Did you get a room there too?"

Jack nodded, "I did, and I can do that. I'll be happy to pay for the stuff too. I know that I stiffed you many times over the years with regards to things for our kids."

"Thank you, Jack," Sharon gave him a small smile. "Andy already paid for everything, and we are okay with that, but I know there are things she will still need. Plus, you did say that she wasn't walking away destitute from the divorce."

Jack's eyes grew wide, "No, she's definitely not. I read through everything. Sharon, she's walking away with over a million in cash. It's enough for her to buy something and get settled with Nathan now at least until she figures something out. If there's anything good, it's that the guy had money, lots of it," he groaned.

"Are you still thinking about what you suggested?" Sharon asked him.

"Yeah, I'll talk to her," he nodded. He was going to continue, but Nathan started to stir. Sharon stood up and picked him up before he could wake Emily.

"He's probably hungry," Sharon stated.

"Want me to find the nurse to see if they can get him some formula right now?" Jack offered.

"Yes, please. No idea what Emily plans to do, but we can at least get him fed now," she smiled at the baby.

Jack returned with a bottle, and instead of Sharon taking it, she offered Nathan to Jack. He was surprised, but took him and happily settled to feed him, "You used to be able to burp the kids when I couldn't," she smiled at the memory.

"Yeah, well, I might be a bit rusty," he shrugged.

"I can tell you from the twins, most things about babies are like riding a bike. I'm sure it will come back to you," she smiled.

"You know, you can feed him, Sharon. You've put in the time here with Em waiting for him," he offered.

Sharon declined, waving him off, "You keep him, Jack. He's your grandson too. Here, I'll get some pictures to document his first feeding with Grandpa Jack."

Jack chuckled at that, and he turned to Sharon, "Say, ahh, I don't know what you're planning to have him call Flynn, but if," he shrugged, "It's fine. He's earned the title too, maybe more than I have."

Sharon pursed her lips and gave him a small smile, "Thanks, Jack. There are worse things than Nathan having too many people who love him. He'll still have two grandfathers like other kids; they will just be on the same side of the family."

The two sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, watching Baby Nathan take his bottle. His little legs moved a bit, scrunching up. Once he was done, Jack burped him and moved to hand him to Sharon.

"Oh no, you can change him first," she grinned, shooing him toward the diapers. He threw her a look, but he chuckled. "I haven't put anything on him yet, but we should now that he's starting to wake up. There are some clothes there I brought for him, all washed and ready to go."

Jack nodded, "I guess you did some shopping, huh?"

"No," she smiled, "I brought them from home. I've got all of Tom's stuff, so Emily can have a lot of it. Like I said, I know she didn't plan for anything. I brought a full suitcase of his things for her to use."

Jack was busy changing Nathan, but he nodded to her, "Well, once she wakes up, I'll go pick up all the stuff Flynn ordered, take it to the hotel, and I will check back in."

"Jack, thanks for this. You've been a good help already," Sharon smiled. Jack turned and handed her a clean Nathan, dressed in one of Tom's first sleepers. It brought a smile to Sharon's face.

"I saved a few of their special outfits that I couldn't part with, but still, the others, they bring back memories. I can't believe the twins are almost two," she shook her head.

"Well, you said to pick out something for him to wear. That was my favorite in the stack," he nodded to what Nathan had on.

Sharon grinned, "I won't tell you who bought it then."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Leave it to Flynn, I guess?"

Sharon just chuckled as she snuggled with the new baby, "No comment."

Nathan's tiny cry started to stir Emily just a few minutes later. Jack stood up and walked over to the bed, while Sharon sat in the chair taking care of Nathan.

"Hi kiddo," Jack said to Emily, looking down at her as she woke up. She stirred, groaning at the slight pain she was already feeling.

"What happened?" she said groggily, feeling for her stomach. Her eyes shot up to Jack.

"Hey," he said, putting his arm on hers, reassuring her, "It's fine. Your mom is there," he pointed to Sharon, "Nathan is good."

Emily's panic stricken face didn't hide her emotions, and she shifted too quickly, looking toward Sharon, "Nathan?"

Sharon stood, bouncing him and walking to Emily, "I have someone who would very much like to meet you," she grinned. "You've been asleep for a long time, and well, we've been getting to know him. I think we like him," Sharon smiled, handing Nathan to Emily.

Emily's eyes grew wide when she saw Nathan. His eyes were closed, and he was sticking out his tongue, fidgeting in his swaddle, "I don't think-I don't want to hold him," she drew back.

"Why not?" Jack asked. "I'll help you sit up. He's been waiting to meet his mom."

"What if I-what if I like holding him? I just want this to be over. I want to let someone else have him," she said.

Jack rolled his eyes at the ceiling, and he shook his head looking at Sharon. She returned the look of irritation. Nathan let out another little cry, causing Emily's eyes to grow wide again.

"He's here," she said, starting to register Nathan's real life presence.

"He is," Sharon stated, patting him, moving toward Emily and plopping him down right in Emily's arm on the bed. "He's here, and he's yours. Of course, you should like holding him. He's your son. There's no 'What if I like holding him?' Emily, he's your son. Your father and I have been holding him. Emily, why would you want someone else to have him when you know deep down you want him, your son?"

Emily looked down at the sleeping baby that Sharon had plopped on her arm and back at her parents, "Oh," she had tears in her eyes, "I don't know what I'm doing," she started to cry. "I can't do this. Mom, I know you mostly did this alone, but Dad, even you were here for this part. I can't do it."

Sharon sat down on the bed next to her, and Jack stepped back, "You can, sweetheart. You can. It's about time you start asking your family for help, but that also means listening to us too. You've shut us out a very, very long time."

Emily looked up to her and to Jack. He nodded in agreement.

"He's so pretty," she said gushing, as she let out the first laugh she had in a long time. "I mean, I guess I should say he's handsome. Boys don't like to be pretty."

Sharon reached over and wiped away her tears, "Your dad and I think he's pretty too," she smiled at her. "Emily, we have a lot of things to work through, but right now, just breathe. Enjoy your son," she nodded to Jack, as she stood. He stepped in.

"Congratulations, Momma," he said, kissing his daughter's head. "He's a fine looking little boy."

Jack helped Emily to pick him up for the first time, and she' just looked at him in shock, "I can't believe him. He's so tiny, but looks so perfect."

"Looks like the whole loving him part figured itself out," Sharon stated, looking toward Emily.

"I was so awful," she said again, tears forming. "Oh, I love you," she said to Nathan, kissing his head and just inhaling his scent. "I hate myself now for not wanting him."

"I think we all have a lot of healing and forgiving to do," Sharon added. "I'm going to step outside a moment," she raised her phone to Jack, and he nodded, as he sat on the side of Emily's bed.

Andy answered a few moments later, "So, I just checked the world records, and there's no mention of a grandma as hot as you," he said as soon as he answered. Sharon leaned her head against the wall and laughed.

"I love you," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, feeling is mutual," he joked with her. " What's the update? She break yet?" he asked.

Sharon hummed, "She just did. Awake now, and it's probably a good thing Jack and I already held Nathan because I don't think she's going to let us anytime soon."

"Good," he said simply. "Glad Jack made it too-how messed up is it that I said that?" he chuckled.

Sharon hummed again, "About as messed up as Jack saying he was okay with Nathan calling you grandpa too."

"What are the odds?" he chuckled. "Listen, I gotta go; we're in the middle of a case, but I can't wait to see you whenever you get back home here in a few days. I know a lot has to be done. The ducks and I are very much looking forward to your coming home," Andy said.

Sharon smiled, "I am too. Kiss the kids for me, and I will try to Facetime the three of you later tonight."

"Bye sweetheart. We'll have to think of something to call Nathan. He can't be a duck, and he's not their duckling."

Sharon smiled, "I'm sure you'll find the right nickname; you named the ducks after all."


	56. Chapter 56

**This is it! We've reached the end. I'm sorry to see it end, but at the same time, this mess had to come to an end, for everyone's sanity! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the amazing reviews and feedback. I've appreciated everything very much. I NEVER saw this story taking on the life it has. I hope this ending lives up to the rest of the story. There's a special segment in here for several ladies who got really into the ducks...Enjoy!**

"Do you think they realize it's their birthday?" Andy asked, looking up from the couch. August again; it was the end of August. The ducks were happy and playing, all the while the television was on with some toddler cartoon they loved. He couldn't remember all the characters, and the voices drove him nuts, but the ducks loved it.

"I taught them to say it," she smiled, walking out of the kitchen, wiping off her hands, "Tom, Faith," she called to them, and the ducks looked to her. "Tell Daddy-What is today?" she made a big gesture to them.

"Hap Day!" Faith jumped up and down, and Tom answered with, "Happy Birf!"

Sharon gave a sly grin to Andy, and he just started to laugh. He looked over at the ducks, "What do you get on your birthday?"

"Toys!" Tom jumped up and down while Faith yelled, "Cake!"

Sharon covered her mouth to keep from laughing, and Andy just rolled his eyes when he turned to her, "So, I see you had quite the discussion with them."

"I did," Sharon grinned proudly. "We talked about birthdays. I told them their age, which you can ask them, by the way, and we talked about birthdays make you older. So, don't be surprised if they start telling you that 'Dada is old.'"

Andy sighed, "Great thanks. So glad to hear that. Just gets better and better," he mumbled. "Should I be worried Faithy is focused on the food aspect of birthdays? Tom's all about the toys, and Faithy about the food," he chuckled.

"I can't believe our babies are two," Sharon sighed, as she sat down on the couch, leaning her head onto Andy's shoulder. They have grown so fast, so much over this last year."

Andy kissed her head, while they watched the ducks play, "We can hope it's a much better day than last year. I love surprises, but I'm not allowing any surprise guests this year."

Sharon sighed, as she patted his chest, "You and me both. I am very much looking forward to a low-key dog party with our friends and family. No surprise visitors," she nodded.

"Tell me, though," Andy pondered, "did you ever envision Jack would end up on our kids' birthday invite list?"

Sharon let out a chuckle, as she stood, "He didn't make it to his own kids' birthdays-ever. I'm still shocked he's coming to their party."

"So, what time is everyone arriving? I know the party is at 12:00, but knowing our crew, people will probably start dropping in oh, now," he looked at his watch. It was 10:30.

"Jack said 11:00ish. Rusty and Gus will be closer to 12:00. Ricky is bringing his girlfriend, and they were having lunch with her parents, who live about an hour north of here. He will be here anytime, and I'm anxious to officially meet her. She doesn't make the surprise guest list ban because he did tell us about her, and we've seen her on Facetime with him. The team is coming at 12, unless your grumpy friend decides to show up earlier. Knowing his love for these two, even when he tries to hide it, I'd say he could be here anytime," Sharon recounted.

"Okay, well, I'm ready. Tough duty watching these two here. Are they wearing what you want them in for the party?" he looked over to the ducks.

"Yes, their outfits are good," she nodded. Faith was wearing a little summer romper that looked sweet on her, and it was in a light green. Tom was wearing shorts with a coordinating green shirt.

A knock at the door had the twins looking up and running to the door, with Andy following, "Hold on you two; only Mom or Dad opens the door," he told them again.

"Jack," Sharon heard Andy say, "you're early; come in," he moved out of the way, and the twins started jumping around.

"Ack!" Tom yelled, smiling at him. "Hi Ack!"

"Emmy!" Faith squealed as she ran to hold her legs.

"Flynn," Jack greeted Andy, and Sharon, having heard Jack was at the door, stood up to greet her guests.

"Hi Sharon," Jack nodded, "Here, these are for the kids," he nodded, passing the presents.

"Toys!" Tom squealed, running to Sharon.

"Later, Tom," she told him. "No toys yet. Thank you, Jack," she said nodding to him. "Jack, come on in," she ushered, patting him on the arm and moving past him. "Hi Baby," she said sweetly, as she moved over to greet her youngest guest.

"Hi Mom," Emily said shyly.

"Hi honey," Sharon greeted her, pulling her into her side. "How's he doing in there?" she asked, looking into the front carrier Emily was wearing. Nathan was snuggled up, fast asleep in in.

"He's snoozing. That's why we are early. He woke up early, I fed him, and Dad and I decided to come over now before he starts his crying fit that he's been doing starting around mid-afternoon everyday the last three or four days now," she explained.

"Come, sit," she motioned to them, and all four adults sat down. The ducks resumed their activities on the floor.

"How are things coming along?" Andy asked, his hand around Sharon's back, as they sat on one couch. Jack and Emily were on the other.

"Okay," Emily replied, rubbing Nathan's back through the front carrier. He was sleeping away. "Dad was right about that townhouse his friend is selling. It is perfect. Three bedrooms, so Dad, Nathan, and I will each have our own. The owner jumped on my cash offer, and I will be able to close on it the first of September. Dad has been a big help."

Jack just shrugged, "Hey, I've got almost 30 years of bad behavior to correct. It seems like I can start by helping my daughter and grandson. I told Emily I'll pay her what I'm paying in rent now, so it works out fine for all of us. She finally has a place to live, Nathan gets a stable home with a mom and a grandpa. Not a bad deal for the kid," he offered.

"Heard anything from the college?" Sharon asked.

Emily nodded, "I did. They called yesterday, and they are going to try to get me hired for the winter semester. They really want a dance instructor now, but I'm just not ready. I explained that I'd had a C-section, had a newborn, was recently divorced, and that less than a week ago, I had just moved across the country. They were impressed I'd gotten done what I had. I didn't get into the fact that it was easier to do all that and not still be sitting in New York."

"Good," Sharon nodded. "It sounds like you are pulling things together, Emily. Andy and I are proud of you. It's been a very, long, hard road. I know your dad there is proud of you too, but I'm not going to speak for him," she smiled.

"Yeah, I'm proud of her too," Jack patted Emily on the back. "I'm just glad to be back in LA. I don't know how you lived in New York that long. I really prefer the weather and all here," he added. "Well, you two know that after she had the baby, we all did that back and forth-Sharon, you flew home after she was discharged, and I spent the next week helping her get packed up, and then you, Sharon flew back there again to help for that long weekend when I came home. Well, this final trip, when I was there, we got all her stuff loaded into one of those pod style storage things, and the thing should be here when she closes on the townhouse."

"Yeah, thanks for letting me borrow their baby equipment while Nathan's stuff is all being moved out here. I appreciate it. Dad had all of it setup when my flight landed the other day. Little Nathan Raydor here, first flight when he was just five weeks old-a big flight at that, moving across the U.S.," Emily said as Nathan started to cry. "Speak of the devil," she said, as she unstrapped the pouch.

"He's strapped in there like a kangaroo or something," Andy chuckled.

"Flynn! That's what I called him? I told Emily he was a kangaroo. She barely lets him out of her arms; he's always in that thing, even flew with him like that. I told her it's okay to put him down," Jack shook his head, "but, what do I know?" he shrugged.

"A kangaroo," Andy chuckled, looking at the ducks. Sharon could tell what he was thinking, raising her eyebrows at him. "Nah, that's not the nickname for Nate."

Emily raised her eyebrows at Andy, and he shrugged as he stood to take the baby from her, "What?" he asked, and then it dawned on him and he rolled his eyes, "What is it with you two and the formal names? These kids are all going to be thanking me one day. It was almost exactly two years ago, I had this same discussion with your mother, and Tom is thanking me every day for it. Thomas," he sighed. "Too formal; guys need a nice, short name. So, hand him over to Grandpa Andy. Nate and I are going to bond," he wiggled his fingers for the baby. Emily sighed and handed him over.

Sharon covered her mouth, chuckling, as Andy settled down with the baby.

"Was he really the reason you switched to Tom?" Emily asked. "I remember you were stuck on him being Thomas."

Sharon nodded, as she gave Andy a large smile, happy to see him with Nate, and also at the memory, "Yes, it was. That was one of the first things we discussed regarding anything about the kids."

"Well, it needed to be done. The name was already there-I had no say; I just made it work, just like this," he said, sitting happily with the baby. Nate got quiet very quickly, and Andy smiled to the group, "I don't know what you are talking about-him crying all the time. He hardly makes a peep."

Emily rolled her eyes, and Jack just closed his. Both had been dealing with a crying Nate for days.

Andy got a big grin on his face, as he looked to Sharon, "I've got it!" he exclaimed, and Sharon had a puzzled look on her face. "Peep-I said he hardly makes a peep. We have our ducks and now the peep. It's like Easter all the time-ducks with that candy-called Peeps, right?"

Sharon's eyes got big, and she turned to Emily and back to Andy, "You're not going to call him your peep, are you?"

Andy looked down at Nate and grinned, 'Oh yeah, I am. I've come up with all the names. Kangaroo doesn't seem to fit him, but yeah, the ducks and the peep," he added, very satisfied.

The whole room started to laugh, causing Tom and Faith to come over and see what was so funny. Both ducks climbed onto Sharon's lap where they could see Nate.

"Mama, baby," Faith pointed to Nate.

"Yes," Sharon smiled, "Nate."

Emily groaned and put her hands over her eyes, but everyone knew she was joking at the Nate vs. Nathan dispute. Had she been really upset, she would have corrected Andy; she never had a problem prior to this speaking her mind. Maybe, just maybe, she was learning to listen a bit more.

"Baby Nate," Tom repeated, looking to Sharon.

"Yes, Baby Nate. Emily's baby," she explained.

"My baby!" Faith exclaimed, patting Nate's leg.

Sharon shook her head, "No, Emily's baby. Your nephew," she cringed, as she looked around the room, as the adults all silently nodded along with her, as if Tom and Faith could possibly understand nephew right now, let alone anything else that might apply to their relationship to Nate.

Emily sighed as she looked on, "Oh, this is going to be so awkward. I'm so, so sorry. I've created this mess. Nephew but half-brother," she groaned. "Mom, Andy, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, we're keeping the nephew part. No need for anything else. Someday, it will all come out, but we've all messed up enough," Andy said bouncing the baby.

Jack shook his head, "It's safe to say that at one time or another in each of our adult lives, we've creating an absolute mess for everyone involved. I know we're all aware of each other's messes. Good thing we can try to move on," he added.

Sharon looked around at her kids-Emily, Tom, and Faith; she looked to her beloved husband, Andy; she looked to her thorn in her side of an ex-husband who'd managed to show his redeeming qualities lately; and she looked to her first grandson, oblivious to everything, and she realized that life is full of a lot of things. It is full of surprises, and it's full of messes. Thankfully, even though it had taken a lot of time, effort, love, patience, and forgiveness, her whole family was finally working its way out of this absolute mess.


End file.
